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CHURCHES   AND   CASTLES   OF 
MEDIy€VAL   FRANCE 


THE    CATHEDRAL    OF    TOURS 


NA 

CHURCHES  AND  CASTLES  OF    lg<?S 
MEDI/EVAL    FRANCE 


BY 


WALTER  CRANSTON   LARNED 


ILLUSTRATED 


NEW   YORK 

CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S  SONS 

1896 


COPYRIGHT,   189s,   BY 
CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S  SONS 


To  my  daughter  Elsie 

in  loving  memory  of  her  dear  companionship 

in  these  journeyings 


**^  This  book  is  a  record  of  a  traveller's  impres- 
sions of  the  great  monuments  of  France.  I  hope 
that  it  may  bring  others  to  see  these  wonderful 
churches  and  castles.  It  is  easy  for  the  student 
to  get  accurate  information  about  them ;  but  nev- 
ertheless it  may  be  of  some  use  to  tell  what  effect 
they  produce  upon  one  who  does  not  wish  to  study 
deeply  into  all  their  history  and  the  minute  details 
of  the  building  of  them,  but  who  does  love  their 
beauty  and  cares  about  the  place  they  hold  in  the 
history  of  the  French  people. 

W.   C.  L. 


CONTENTS 


OHAPTEB  PAGE 

I,  Historical  Monuments  of  France        ...  1 

II.  The  Cathedral  of  Amiens   .....  5 

III.  Beauvais  and  Chartres 18 

IV.  ToDRS 26 

V.  Caen 30 

VI.  Rouen 37 

VII.  Mont  St.  Michel 47 

VIII.  Carcassonne 61 

IX.  Aigues-Mortes 75 

X.  Custodians    of    French    Churches   and    Monu- 
ments .........  85 

XL  The  Templar  Church  of  St.  Jean  de  Luz         .  90 

XII.  Poitiers 97 

XIIL  Two  Ancient  Bearnais  Churches        .         .         .  102 

XIV.  The  Chateau  of  Henry  op  Navarre  .         .         .114 

XV.  The  Chateau  of  Langeais 123 

XVI.  Chenonceaux  and  Azay-le-Rideau       .         .         .  130 

XVII.  Chinon 146 

XVIII.  The  Chateau  of  Blois 160 

XIX.  The  Chateaux  of  Loches  and  Chaumont  .         .  172 
vii 


Vm  CONTENTS 

OHAPTEK  PAGE 

XX.     The  Chateaux  of  Amboise  and  Chambord        .  181 
XXI.     Roman  and  Christian  Monuments  at  NImes  and 

Arles 190 

XXII.     Bourges 201 

XXin.     The  Cathedral  of  Rheims 213 

XXIV.     St.  Denis 223 

XXV.     St.    Etienne    du    Mont,    the     Church    of    the 
Patron  Saint  of  Paris  —  Notre  Dame,  and 

the  Pantheon 231 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


The  Cathedral  of  Tours 


The  Cathedral  of  Amiens  .... 

The  Cathedral  of  Beauvais 

The  Cathedral  of  Chartres 

The  Castle  of  Falaise         .         .         .         , 

The  Palais  de  Justice  at  Rouen 

Mont  St,  Michel 

Carcassonne.     Porte  de  L'Aude  and  Bishop'i 
Aigues-Mortes        ...... 

The  Church  of  the  Templars  at  Luz 
Notre  Dame  de  Poitiers      .... 

The  Church  of  the  Holy  Faith  at  Morlaas 

The  Chateau  of  Henry  of  Navarre 

The  Chateau  of  Langeais  . 

The  Chateau  of  Chenonceaux   . 

The  Castle  of  Chinon 

Staircase  of  the  Chateau  of  Blois 

The  Chateau  of  Chaumont 

Door  of  the  Chapel  of  Amboise 

The  Pont  du  Card 

The  Cathedral  of  Bourges 

The  Cathedral  of  Rheims  . 

St.  Denis 

The  Church  of  St.  ^^tienne  du  Mont 

is. 


Frontispiece 


FACING  PAOE 


Tow] 


18 

22 

30 

38 

48 

62 

76 

90 

98 

108 

114 

124 

130 

146 

160 

174 

182 

194 

202 

214 

224 

232 


CHURCHES   AND    CASTLES   OF 
MEDIAEVAL    FRANCE 

CHAPTER  I 

HISTORICAL  MONUMENTS   OF  FRANCE 

No  one  who  has  travelled  in  France,  and  visited 
the  cathedrals,  the  chateaux,  and  the  walled  towns, 
can  fail  to  be  deeply  impressed  by  the  meaning  of 
the  two  words,  "  historical  monument."  These  words 
are  found  in  every  guide-book.  Sometimes  only  the 
initials  (M.  H.)  are  given,  as  in  Murray.  A  "  monu- 
ment historique  "  in  France  means  a  church,  or  a 
castle,  or  a  town  that  has  been  thought  worthy  either 
of  restoration  or  preservation  at  the  expense  of  the 
French  people.  There  is  a  tax  levied  to  provide  the 
money  necessary  for  these  purposes,  and  it  is  aston- 
ishing how  much  the  French  are  willing  to  pay  to 
preserve  or  restore  whatever  has  to  do  with  their 
history  as  a  nation.  The  money  required  is  by  no 
means  a  small  sum.  The  restoration  of  Carcassonne 
was  undertaken  by  Mr.  VioUet-le-Duc,  by  the  direc- 

B  1 


Z  HISTORICAL   MONUMENTS   OF   FRANCE 

tioii  of  the  authorities  who  have  these  matters  in 
charge  in  France.  This  restoration  meant  spending 
about  four  hundred  thousand  dollars  on  the  cathe- 
dral and  about  three  hundred  thousand  dollars  on 
the  walls  and  towers.  The  work  is  not  yet  com- 
pleted. The  chS,teau,  which  was  an  important  part 
of  the  old  town,  is  not  yet  completely  restored,  and 
it  will  cost  a  large  sum  of  money  before  that  is  fin- 
ished, in  the  same  way  as  the  cathedral  and  the 
walls  and  towers  have  been  now  made  nearly  as 
they  were  when  they  were  built. 

The  same  thing  has  been  done  at  Nimes,  though 
not  at  so  great  a  cost.  But  this  is  only  one  among 
many  illustrations  as  to  the  spirit  of  the  French  peo- 
ple in  this  matter.  The  Chateau  of  Pierrefonds  was 
also  restored  by  Mr.  VioUet-le-Duc  in  the  time  of 
Louis  Napoleon.  It  attests  again  his  skill  in  bringing 
mediaeval  buildings,  apparently  dead,  back  again  to  the 
life  that  was  theirs  at  the  time  when  they  were  built. 

The  outlay  of  money  does  not  cease  even  when 
the  restorations  are  completed.  There  must  be  a 
"  custodian  "  for  every  historical  monument,  and  he 
must  have  a  house  to  live  in  and  a  salary  to  support 
him.  Of  course  the  fees  given  by  visitors  are  no 
small  part  of  his  remuneration,  but,  nevertheless,  he 
is  a  government  official,  and  the  government  is  re- 
sponsible for  his  maintenance. 


HISTORICAL   MONUMENTS   OF   FRANCE  3 

There  are  many  places  in  France  where  other 
questions  as  to  money  are  involved  in  the  preser- 
vation of  the  ancient  monuments.  Bayonne  is  an 
example  in  point.  This  was  a  very  strongly  fortified 
town  in  the  Middle  Ages.  The  walls  of  the  town  are 
mostly  preserved.  The  moat  is  there,  too,  although 
not  now  full  of  water.  The  fortified  gates,  the  ram- 
parts, still  are  there,  and  the  bastions  and  barbicans 
outside  the  walls.  All  these  take  up  an  immense 
amount  of  space,  and  every  foot  of  land  they  cover 
would  be  valuable  for  business  purposes,  because 
Baj^onne  is  a  flourishing  city,  —  a  seaport,  growing 
every  day  in  commercial  importance.  Nevertheless, 
the  old  walls  and  moat,  the  barbicans  and  bastions, 
are  not  disturbed.  They  are  kept  as  monuments  to 
the  glor}^  of  France,  and  also  for  illustration  of  his- 
torj.  They  must  inspire  the  French  with  patriotic 
devotion  to  their  own  land. 

There  is  a  lesson  to  be  learned  here  as  to  the 
enlightenment  of  the  French  people  at  the  present 
day,  and  there  is  another  lesson  to  be  learned,  by  way 
of  contrast,  in  going  back  to  the  French  Revolution, 
and  seeing  that  no  social  convulsion  the  world  has 
ever  seen  destroyed  so  many  relics  of  the  past  as  did 
that  one.  Not  even  the  iconoclasts  of  Cromwell  were 
so  unsparing  in  wanton  destruction.  It  seems  as  if 
the  French  of   to-day  were  trying  to  make  amends 


4  HISTORICAL  MONUMENTS   OF   FRANCE 

for  the  fearful  excesses  of  those  who  were  goaded  to 
madness  by  the  tyranny  of  king  after  king,  culmina- 
ting in  the  frightful  contrast  between  the  luxury  of 
Louis  XIV.'s  court  and  the  misery  of  his  people. 

The  fury  past,  calmness  regained,  free  government 
assured,  the  people  value  as  precious  things  all  that 
remains  in  visible  form  to  tell  of  their  ancient  history. 

It  is  not  only  those  connected  with  the  govern- 
ment who  feel  in  this  way.  The  common  people  are 
in  full  sympathy  with  this  feeling.  The  custodian 
of  Carcassonne  said,  with  pride,  that  he  paid  his  share 
of  the  tax  for  the  restoration  of  the  ancient  place  like 
any  other  citizen,  although  he  is  a  government  offi- 
cial; and  the  same  thing  would  be  said  by  all  those 
who  take  care  of  the  French  historical  monuments. 

This  custodian  of  Carcassonne  is  a  remarkable  man. 
He  has  the  courtesy  of  a  gentleman,  the  knowledge 
of  a  scholar  about  his  own  subject,  and  much  intelli- 
gence about  other  matters  beside. 

The  custodian  of  Aigues-Mortes  is  equally  courte- 
ous and  equally  intelligent.  The  guide-books  can- 
not tell  what  these  men  know.  They  have  made 
the  one  thing  that  is  entrusted  to  their  care  the  sole 
study  of  their  lives.     They  love  it  and  they  know  it. 

It  would  be  well  if  the  American  people  would 
take  care  of  such  historical  monuments  as  they  have 
in  the  same  way  as  is  the  custom  now  in  France. 


CHAPTER  II 

THE   CATHEDRAL    OF   AMIENS 

To  one  who  loves  Gothic  architecture  there  are 
few  cathedrals  more  interesting  than  the  cathedral  of 
Amiens.  It  was  built  in  1220  to  1288, —  the  sixty- 
eight  years  of  work  of  the  two  bishops  Everard,  who 
founded  it,  and  Godfrey,  who  carried  it  to  comple- 
tion and  consecrated  it. 

The  name  of  the  architect  is  preserved,  which  is 
not  always  the  case  with  Gothic  builders.  Robert 
of  Luzarches  was  the  designer,  and  Thomas  de  Cer- 
mont  and  his  son  R^nauet  completed  the  building. 
All  honor  to  them,  for  they  have  achieved  one  of  the 
Gothic  wonders  of  the  world. 

If  the  original  plan  had  been  carried  out,  the  cathe- 
dral of  Amiens  would  be  without  a  peer  among 
Gothic  churches.  Unfortunately,  its  exterior  is  sadly 
marred  by  a  wooden  spire  which  is  so  far  too  small 
for  the  church  that  it  seems  quite  ridiculous,  and 
it  is  marred  also  by  the  failure  to  complete  the 
two  western   towers,  which  were  meant  to  culmi- 

5 


6  THE   CATHEDKAL   OF   AMIENS 

nate  in  spires.  The  exterior  is  hurt  also  by  the 
too  close  crowding  around  it  of  small  buildings.  It 
is  not  possible  from  any  point  of  view  to  get  an  ade- 
quate idea  of  the  whole  church.  When  these  criti- 
cisms are  made,  as  unfortunately  they  must  be,  there 
is  nothing  more  to  say  that  does  not  tell  of  almost 
unlimited  admiration. 

To  convey  in  words  the  overpowering  effect  of  the 
facade  is  not  possible.  It  stands  quite  alone,  in  my 
mind,  among  all  Gothic  facades  I  know,  easily  sur- 
passing all  the  others.  Here  is  the  very  essence  of 
the  Gothic  builder's  art.  Here  the  exquisite  lines 
of  his  construction  blend  in  the  most  perfect  harmony 
with  the  superb  richness  of  his  ornamentation.  Mr. 
Ruskin  says  that  those  who  built  the  Gothic  churches 
really  believed  they  were  building  dwelling-places 
for  Christ,  and  they  wished  to  make  them  as  com- 
fortable and  beautiful  for  Him  as  they  could.  The 
fagade  of  Amiens  certainly  bears  out  this  idea,  for 
the  central  figure  in  it  is  Christ,  called  "Le  Bon 
Dieu  d' Amiens,"  who  welcomes  all  who  come  to 
enter  its  portals  and  gives  them  His  benediction. 

But  at  first  the  figures  are  not  noticed  individu- 
ally. Arch  upon  arch,  pinnacle  above  pinnacle, 
column  above  column,  pier  above  pier,  its  vanishing 
lines  lost  at  last  in  the  heavens  above,  the  wondrous 
facade  bursts  upon  the  astonished  eye  in  an  over- 


THE    CATHEDRAL   OF    AMIENS 


THE   CATHEDRAL   OF   AMIENS  7 

powering  grandeur,  a  wealth  of  sculpture,  an  exqui- 
site grace  of  line  and  composition,  unlike  anything 
else  in  all  architecture.  And  when  the  dazzled 
sight  has  become  somewhat  accustomed  to  the  full 
blaze  of  this  Gothic  splendor,  when  the  mind,  irre- 
sistibly led  at  first  to  aspiration,  can  rejoice  in  the 
beauties  that  help  make  the  wondrous  whole,  then 
comes  the  thought,  "  What  spirit  was  it  that  inspired 
him  who  did  this,  and  how  can  he  move  men  thus 
through  all  these  ages  ?  "  And  the  mind,  answering, 
says  it  is  easy  to  see  that  perfect  honesty  of  construc- 
tion and  perfect  beauty  are  not  far  apart.  The  great 
rose  window  could  not  be  without  the  strong  support 
of  buttresses  that  permitted  so  large  openings  in  such 
lofty  walls. 

Massive  solid  piers  must  give  strong  foundation 
for  spires  that  are  to  touch  the  clouds,  and  as  the 
piers  rise  higher  and  higher,  and  less  and  less  sup- 
porting work  is  to  be  done,  they  become  lighter  and 
lighter,  vanishing  one  by  one  into  pinnacles,  until  at 
last  the  eye  is  led  to  the  one  supreme  pinnacle, —  the 
nearest  point  toward  the  heavens  the  builder's  skill 
could  reach.  This  utmost  touch  of  the  spire  is  not 
here  as  Robert  of  Luzarche  meant  it  should  be,  but 
all  the  lower  lines  are  eloquent  of  it.  In  their 
own  beauty  of  form  and  thought  they  point  to  the 
beauty's  consummation,   until  the  completed  spire 


8  THE   CATHEDRAL   OF   AMIENS 

is  seen  in  a   dream,  almost,  as    Robert   must  have 
seen  it. 

But  graceful  lines  and  forms  were  not  enough, 
however  inspiring  they  might  be.  The  portal  of  the 
house  of  God  must  be  beautiful  in  every  part. 
About  the  door  must  be  the  saints  and  angels  who 
surround  the  Lord.  The  beauties  of  God's  flowers 
and  vines  and  leaves  must  lend  adornment  to  these 
columns  and  enrich  these  arches.  Thus  the  sculptor 
and  the  cunning  carver  help  the  builder.  In  the 
great  central  portal  the  apostles  and  saints  stand 
reverently,  but  with  most  simple  dignity,  about  their 
Master.  Each  figure  has  its  niche  in  the  recessed 
doorway,  and  as  all  stand  upon  the  same  level, —  and 
the  same  order  is  preserved  in  the  side  portals, —  the 
whole  forms  one  long  procession  of  apostles,  martyrs, 
and  saints  on  the  Saviour's  right  hand  and  on  His 
left,  reaching  from  one  side  of  the  vast  facade  to  the 
other.  Above  the  Saviour's  figure  is  told  in  stone 
the  thought  these  pious  builders  had  about  the  last 
judgment.  Many  another  scene  or  story  from  the 
Scriptures  is  here  upon  the  recessed  arches  and  the 
great  bases  of  the  piers,  nor  is  one  spot  left  without 
its  ornament  or  its  sacred  figure,  excepting  such  as 
should  be  left  unornamented  in  order  that  grace  and 
strength  and  beauty  of  construction  might  quite 
plainly  be  seen. 


THE   CATHEDRAL   OF   AMIENS  9 

Far  above  the  saints  and  apostles  who  stand  abont 
the  porches  is  another  long  procession,  reaching 
from  one  side  to  the  other  of  the  fa9ade.  These 
are  the  kings  of  Judah,  and  very  majestic  and 
king-like  do  they  seem.  At  first  one  miglit  think 
these  should  not  occupy  a  higher  position  than  the 
others,  but  only  a  second  thought  is  needed  to  show 
that  the  architect  was  correct  in  thus  placing  them. 
He  wished  to  put  that  which  was  most  sacred,  that 
which  had  most  to  teach,  Avhere  it  could  most  easily 
be  seen  and  best  impress  its  lesson.  The  kings  were 
not  so  holy  as  the  saints,  and,  while  they  give  o-reat 
dignity  to  the  structure  as  they  stand  there  appar- 
ently helping  to  support  it,  there  is  no  need  that 
each  of  them  should  tell  his  life  story,  while  there 
is  the  utmost  need  that  Christ  and  His  disciples 
should  speak  most  plainly  and  directly  to  the  people. 
Therefore  the  kings  are  placed  so  high.  The  points 
of  the  portals  are  crowned  with  angels,  the  central 
one  Gabriel,  who  holds  the  trumpet  that  is  to  voice 
the  last  summons.  These  seem  to  bring-  together  all 
the  lesson  of  the  sacred  story,  and  tell  what  its  mean- 
ing is,  and  how  it  shall  end  in  a  heavenly  home  for 
those  who  love  and  worship. 

Beside  the  beautiful  lines  and  forms,  the  delicate 
aerial  pinnacles  and  the  sumptuous  richness  of  the 
ornamental  sculpture  as  well  as  its  suggestion  of  all 


10  THE   CATHEDRAL   OF   AMIENS 

that  is  most  sacred,  there  is  another  feature  in  the 
exterior  of  Amiens  hardly  less  remarkable  though 
not  very  easily  to  be  studied  except  from  above,  and 
that  is  the  flying  buttresses.  These  are  the  dis- 
tinctive feature  of  Gothic  architecture,  more  truly 
so  even  than  the  pointed  arch,  and  to  make  them 
beautiful  was  the  Gothic  architect's  greatest  triumph 
in  one  way,  because  they  were  not  put  there  for 
beauty  but  for  the  necessary  strength  of  construction. 
These  of  Amiens,  however,  are  beautiful.  They  are 
pierced  with  arches  and  made  as  light  as  they  can 
be  consistently  with  the  strength  they  must  have. 
They  seem  like  myriad  long  arms,  as  graceful""  as 
they  are  strong,  that  hold  the  temple  in  a  firm  and 
tender  embrace.  They  would  be  like  the  hundred- 
handed  giant  of  old  if  they  were  not  as  beautiful  as 
they  are  strong. 

All  this  is  only  the  exterior.  The  chief  glory 
of  Amiens  is  within.  The  wonderful  fagade  is  but 
a  gateway,  after  all,  developed  into  its  harmonious 
beauty  because  of  the  thought  of  a  welcoming  en- 
trance that  miglit  invite  worshippers  to  God's  house, 
and  bid  them  come  thither  with  a  humble  and  a 
serious  heart  yet  knowing  well  that  peace  awaits 
them  within. 

One  who  loves  beautiful  things,  and  wishes  to 
know  enough  about  them  to  have  them  leave  a  lasting- 


A 


/  THE   CATHEDRAL   OF   AMIENS  11 

impression  on  the  mind,  will  not  ask  for  the  custodian 

when   he  enters    this   church.     He   will   avoid   that 

person  and  every  one  else  and  seek  to  be  quite  alone, 

without  any  words  for  a  long  time,  hoping  that  the 

whole  building  may  tell  to  him  its  secret  of  beauty 

without  confusion  of  impressions  or  that  waste  of 

mental    energy  that   must   come  from  an  effort  to 

comprehend  at  the  same  time  the   vast  things  and 

the  small  ones. 

The  outside  only  surrounds  the  dwelling-place  of 

Christ.     Within  is  the  real  home,  as  these  builders 

thought  about  it,  and  he  who  built  this   cathedral 

certainly  had  this  idea  very  close  to  his  heart.     The 

sacred  place,  sacred  beyond  all  others,  is  the  choir 

where    the   high   altar   stands.      About   it    are    the 

chapels  which  were  the  dwelling-places  of  the  saints 

who  were    accounted  worthy  to  live    so  near  their 

Master. 
s    -  ' 

It  is  for  this  reason  that  the   choir  and  apse   of 

Amiens  are  so  superb.  At  first  one  does  not  seek 
any  reason  why  it  should  be  as  it  is,  but  is  simply 
overwhelmed  by  the  majesty,  the  grace,  and  the 
beauty  of  it.  There  is  no  other  Gothic  choir  like 
this  in  the  impression  it  gives  of  vast  height. 
Though  that  of  Beauvais  is  higher,  it  does  not  pro- 
duce the  same  effect  because  the  church  is  unf^n 
ished.      There    is    no    dome    to    surmount   Amiens 


12  THE   CATHEDRAL   OF    AMIENS 

cathedral,  no  great  tower  like  that  of  Canterbury, 
no  lantern  as  at  Burgos  —  simply  and  only  the 
Gothic  columns  and  arches  spring  in  unbroken  and 
exquisite  lines  from  floor  to  ceiling.  One  must 
look  upward  even  as  if  the  heavens  were  opened 
above  him.  It  seems  like  that.  Whence  comes  that 
light  from  above?  Is  it  all  glass  there,  window 
above  window  from  aisle  to  clerestory,  from  clere- 
story to  the  very  utmost  point  of  this  great  upward- 
reachinor  of  the  arches  ? 

It  scarcely  seems  possible  that  so  much  light  can 
come  through  all  the  wall  from  foundation  to  pin- 
nacle of  so  great  a  building.  But  so  it  is.  The 
builder  meant  the  light  of  lieaven  to  shine  upon  the 
Saviour's  home.  He  meant,  too,  that  the  light 
sliould  come  there  softly  in  subdued  radiance,  that 
it  might  not  be  too  glaring,  and  that  it  should  be 
beautiful  with  red  and  purple  and  yellow,  suggest- 
ing gratitude  and  praise  for  Him  who  made  the 
rainbow,  and  by  its  potent  charm  inviting  all  to  come 
and  worship  in  the  sacred  place. 

After  long  looking  in  mute  admiration,  after  com- 
munion with  the  spirit  of  worship  that  pervades  it 
all,  one  comes  at  last  to  understand  what  the  builder 
meant.  The  buttresses  outside  were  for  this,  that 
there  might  be  light  within,  and  these  towering 
columns   in  majestic  procession  from  nave  to  tran- 


THE  CATHEDRAL   OF   AMIENS  13 

sept,  from  transept  to  clioir  and  apse,  are  there  to 
hold  on  high  a  canopy  over  the  holy  place. 

As  the  meaning  becomes  more  plain,  the  charm  of 
the  beauty  is  more  keenly  felt,  because  it  is  the 
beauty  of  symmetry,  of  perfect,  orderly  development 
from  a  preconceived  idea,  and  that  idea  the  highest 
known  to  man,  —  the  thought  of  absolute,  devoted 
worship. 

Mr.  Ruskin  says  of  this  church  in  his  "  Bible  of 
Amiens " :  "  The  outside  of  a  French  cathedral, 
except  for  its  sculpture,  is  always  to  be  thought 
of  as  the  wrong  side  of  the  stuff  in  which  you  find 
how  the  threads  go  that  produce  the  inside,  or  right 
side,  patterns ;  and  if  you  have  no  wonder  in  you  for 
that  choir,  and  its  encompassing  circlet  of  light, 
when  you  look  up  to  it  from  the  cross  centre,  you 
need  not  travel  any  farther  in  search  of  cathedrals, 
for  the  waiting-room  of  any  station  is  a  better  j)lace 
for  you  :  but  if  it  amaze  you  and  delight  you  at  first, 
then  the  more  you  know  of  it  the  more  it  will  amaze. 
For  it  is  not  possible  for  imagination  and  mathe- 
matics together  to  do  anything  nobler  or  stranger 
than  that  procession  of  window,  with  material  of 
glass  and  stone,  nor  anything  which  shall  look  loftier 
with  so  temperate  and  prudent  measure  of  actual 
loftiness.  .  .  .  From  the  unhewn  block  set  on  end 
in  the  Druids'  bethel  to  this  Lord's  house  and  blue 


14  THE  CATHEDRAL   OF   AMIENS 

vitrailed  gate  of  heaven,  you  have  the  entire  course 
and  consummation  of  the  northern  religious  builder's 
passion  and  art."  The  same  author  calls  Amiens 
"  the  first  virgin  perfect  work  —  the  Parthenon  of 
Gothic   architecture." 

There  is  much  more  in  the  interior  of  this  church 
beside  its  wonderful  effect  as  a  whole.  There  is  a 
choir  whose  wood-carving  is  equalled  by  no  other  in 
Europe  except  that  of  Cordova.  A  marvel  it  is  in 
itself,  and  yet  so  perfectly  subordinated  in  its  exte- 
rior lines  to  the  church,  that  it  helps  rather  than 
hinders  the  general  effect.  This  is  not  often  true 
of  elaborate  choirs.  The  carving  here  seems  to  grow 
naturally  from  the  great  stone  columns.  It  is  the 
foliage  of  the  forest  or  the  vine  that  seems  to  love 
to  cling  about  such  noble  tree  trunks.  Tlie  orna- 
mental effect  of  it  is  more  beautiful,  but  not  more 
interesting,  than  the  stories  its  figures  tell  about 
what  happened  in  the  Jewish  days  and  in  the  time 
of  Christ.  There  are  more  than  three  thousand  of 
these  figures.  They  are  beautiful,  deliciously  quaint, 
and  always  suggestive  of  the  story  they  mean  to  tell, 
although  they  are  by  no  means  perfect  from  the 
technical  point  of  view. 

Curious  stories  are  told  about  the  artists  who 
made  this  carving.  Trupin  was  the  chief  of  them, 
and  he  was  an  artist  indeed.     Yet  he  received  but 


THE   CATHEDRAL   OF   AMIENS  15 

a  few  pennies  a  day  for  his  work.  His  apprentices 
were  paid  still  less.  Some  only  received  three  cents 
a  day.  What  artist  would  work  in  these  days  for 
such  wages  ?  It  must  be  remembered,  however,  that 
the  penny  then  would  fully  equal  the  shilling  now 
in  purchasing  power. 

This  whole  choir,  with  all  its  masterpieces  of  carv- 
ing in  figures  and  decorative  work,  cost  about  two 
thousand  dollars,  and  it  gave  employment  to  six  or 
eight  good  workmen  for  fourteen  years.  If  this  sum 
should  represent  ten  times  as  much  in  actual  value 
to-day,  it  still  seems  scarcely  possible  that  such 
work  could  be  done  for  such  a  price.  The  groups  of 
figures  are  so  numerous  and  so  complicated  that  any 
detailed  description  of  them  would  be  uninteresting 
except  to  a  student.  In  the  smaller  figures  there 
is  a  good  deal  of  a  kind  of  grotesque  humor.  The 
portraits  of  the  artists  are  curiously  brought  in. 
They  seem  almost  like  caricatures,  and  yet  the  faces 
are  so  lifelike  that  they  must  be  good  likenesses. 

Mr.  Ruskin  says  of  it:  "It  is  tastefully  devel- 
oped, flamboyant,  just  past  the  fifteenth  century,  and 
has  some  Flemish  stolidity  mixed  with  the  playing 
French  fire  of  it ;  but  wood-carving  was  the  Picard's 
joy  from  his  youth  up,  and,  so  far  as  I  know,  there 
is  nothing  else  so  beautiful  cut  out  of  the  goodly 
trees  of  the  world.      Sweet  and  young-grained  oak 


16  THE   CATHEDRAL   OF    AMIENS 

it  is :  oak  trained  and  chosen  for  such  work,  sound 
now  as  four  hunch'ed  years  since.  Under  the  carver's 
hand  it  seems  to  cut  like  clay,  to  fold  like  silk,  to 
grow  into  living  branches,  to  leap  like  living  flame. 
Canopy  crowning  canopy,  pinnacle  piercing  pinna- 
cle—  it  shoots  and  wreathes  itself  into  an  enchanted 
glade,  inextricable,  imperishable,  fuller  of  leafage  than 
any  forest,  and  fuller  of  story  than  any  book." 

On  the  outside  of  the  choir  and  in  the  two 
transepts  are  some  most  quaint  and  curious  bas- 
reliefs.  They  illustrate  scenes  from  the  lives  of  St. 
Firmin  and  St.  Salve,  the  patron  saints  of  Amiens, 
the  life  of  John  the  Baptist,  the  history  of  St.  James 
the  great,  and  the  expulsion  of  the  money-changers 
from  the  temple.  These  are  almost  as  interesting 
as  the  wooden  carvings  of  the  choir,  though  by  no 
means  so  beautiful. 

A  part  of  the  head  of  Jolin  the  Baptist  is  said 
to  be  here.  There  must  be,  I  suppose,  documents 
of  great  length  to  prove  its  genuineness,  but  I  had 
no  opportunity  to  examine  them. 

The  graves  of  the  two  bishops  who  built  this 
church  are  marked  by  two  of  the  most  remarkable 
bronze  monuments  in  France.  It  is  said  that  only 
two  others  remain  equal  to  these,  —  the  monuments 
to  the  children  of  St.  Louis  at  St.  Denis.  The  others 
were  destroyed  at  the  time  of  the  Revolution. 


THE   CATHEDRAL   OF   AMIENS  17 

It  is  well  that  the  monuments  of  those  who 
built  the  first  perfect  temple  to  God  in  France 
should  remain  here  undisturbed,  and  it  is  fitting  that 
the  last  thought  as  one  leaves  this  glorious  church 
should  be  one  of  thankfulness  to  the  noble,  self- 
sacrificing,  loving,  and  pious  bishops,  whose  lifelong 
efforts  achieved  so  mighty  a  task,  and  whose  earnest 
hope  it  was  that  blessings  should  come  to  man  from 
their  church  long  ages  after  they  had  gone  to  their 
rest. 


CHAPTER  III 

BEAUVAIS   AND   CHARTRES 

The  first  sight  of  the  cathedral  of  Beauvais  is 
disappointing.  The  building  is  out  of  proportion  - 
far  too  high  for  its  length.  The  reason  is  that  the 
Beauvais  architect  attempted  far  more  tlian  he  could 
achieve,  partly  because  his  piers  were  not  sufficient 
for  their  work,  and  partly,  also,  because  the  purse 
of  the  little  town  was  by  no  means  long  enough  to 
carry  out  his  design  even  if  it  could  have  been  pos- 
sible under  the  most  favorable  conditions  to  erecl 
the  building  as  he  planned,  which  is  certainly  very 
doubtful. 

To  surpass  the  apse  of  Amiens  in  height  and  bring 
still  more  light  into  the  building  with  even  less 
use  of  masonry  and  larger  openings  for  stained  glass 
was  a  task  which  perhaps  no  architect  of  those  days 
—  not  even  a  Gothic  one  —  could  have  achieved. 
The  result  of  the  attempt  was  partial  failure.  A 
large  part  of  the  building  tumbled  down,  and  the 
rest    had    to   be   strengthened    by   the   insertion   of 

18 


BEAUVAIS   AND   CHARTRES  19 

piers  not  in  the  architect's  design.  Then  came  the 
other  collapse  of  the  finances,  and  the  church  was 
never  built  at  all  beyond  the  transepts,  and  even 
these  were  a  later  addition.  Ambition  here  over- 
leaped itself,  and  the  attempt  to  surpass  Amiens 
resulted  in  so  complete  a  failure  that  the  church 
of  Beauvais  seems  now  from  the  outside  almost  like 
a  ruin. 

Yet  its  choir  is  the  loftiest  in  the  world  in  a  Gothic 
cathedral,  considerably  higher  than  that  of  Amiens. 
In  this\choir  are  three  tiers  of  windows,  the  lower 
ones  about  the  chapels,  the  next  in  the  clerestory, 
and  the  third  touching  with  their  pointed  arches 
the  very  roof  itself.  It  is  not  easy  to  believe  that 
even  the  smallest  of  these  windows  would  seem 
very  large  in  most  churches,  while  the  towering 
ones  above  that  almost  reach  the  roof  would  be  far 
too  high  for  any  but  the  very  largest  buildings. 

The  same  general  plan  is  adopted  as  at  Amiens, 
yet  the  effect  is  not  so  perfect  because  the  lines  of 
support  are  not  so  plainly  to  be  seen.  The  dizzy 
height  is  attained,  but  at  the  cost  of  symmetry  and 
with  an  uneasy  suggestion  of  insecurity.  Some  one 
has  well  said  of  the  cathedrals  of  Amiens  and  Beau- 
vais that  "Amiens  seems  a  giant  in  repose,  while 
Beauvais  is  a  colossus  on  tip-toe."  The  vast  height 
is  not  the  only  wonder  of  this  choir  and  apse  and 


20  BEAUVAIS   AND   CHARTRES 

these  transei^ts.  The  stained  glass  is  very  fine, 
especially  the  lower  windows  of  the  chapels  about 
the  high  altar,  which  glow  with  brilliant  yellow, 
amethyst,  and  topaz  and  have  many  a  story  to  tell 
about  the  lives  of  the  saints.  Sometimes  a  certain 
grotesqueness  invades  even  the  stained  glass.  That 
is  not  the  case  in  the  cathedral  at  Beauvais,  but 
there  is  a  remarkable  example  of  it  in  another 
church  in  the  town,  —  the  very  ancient  church  of 
St.  Etienne. 

There  is  a  window  here  containing  what  is  called 
the  "  Tree  of  Jesse,"  which  is  certainly  one  of  the 
most  extraordinary  examples  of  stained  glass  work 
that  can  be  found  anywhere.  In  the  lower  part 
of  the  window  are  nine  divisions.  Poor  old  Jesse 
lies  placidly  slumbering  in  the  middle  one  of  the 
three  lower  divisions.  Two  great  tree  trunks  grow, 
—  one  from  each  of  his  sides  and  reach  over  into 
the  divisions  of  the  window  at  his  right  and  his 
left.  Here  they  blossom  into  a  king  for  every  pane 
of  the  window,  and  more  curious  examples  of  royalty 
it  would  be  hard  to  imagine.  They  are  all  splen- 
didly arrayed,  though  there  might  be  a  question  as 
to  their  choice  of  garments. 

Solomon  is  much  the  funniest.  He  has  on  a  poke 
bonnet  of  the  most  pronounced  New  England  type, 
though  brilliantly  yellow  in  color,  and  with  a  crown 


BEAUVAIS   AND   CHARTRES  21 

on  top  of  it.  There  is  an  immense  jewel  under  the 
bonnet  just  over  his  forehead.  Why  it  is  there,  or 
how  it  came  there,  no  one  can  tell.  There  is  a 
mixture  of  splendor  and  ludicrousness  about  him 
that  would  make  an  anchorite  lauofh. 

King  David  is  but  little  better  off  in  the  way  of 
dress,  but  his  big  harp  gives  him  a  kind  of  seemly 
occupation,  and  is  a  little  more  in  keeping  with  his 
life  and  character  than  any  article  in  the  most 
unfortunate  costume  of  his  son. 

Above  them  all  is  an  immense  white  lily,  the 
topmost  blossom  of  the  tree,  from  the  midst  of 
whose  petals  emerges  the  Virgin,  with  a  blaze  of 
glory  about  her. 

In  the  companion  window  on  the  right  are  scenes 
from  the  Last  Judgment.  There  is  a  violently  red 
devil,  with  a  full  equipment  of  horns,  hoofs,  and 
tail,  who  is  holding  open  the  huge  mouth  of  a 
brilliantly  green  dragon,  with  an  enormous,  pro- 
truding blue  eye.  Into  this  mouth  lesser  devils 
are  thrusting  the  unfortunate  souls  of  the  wicked 
as  fast  as  they  can  cram  them  down.  The  dragon's 
capacity  for  eating  without  swallowing  seems  to 
be  almost  unlimited. 

Strangely  enough,  these  windows,  when  seen 
from  a  distance,  are  very  beautiful  in  color,  and 
there  is  some  really  good  composition  in  them. 


22  BEAUVAIS    AND   CHARTRES 

There  are  many  other  interesting  phices  in  Beau- 
vais,  some  of  them  strikingly  picturesque,  but  it 
will  be  more  interesting  to  contrast  the  stained 
glass  of  Chartres  with  that  of  this  half-finished, 
but  most  impressive,  cathedral. 

In  its  stained  glass  Chartres  is  certainly  one  of 
the  most  beautiful  churches  in  the  world.  One 
hundred  and  sixty  windows  of  perfect  form  and 
color  made  at  the  time  when  this  exquisite  art 
was  at  the  very  acme  of  its  perfection !  No  one 
who  has  not  seen  it  can  even  imagine  the  glory 
of  them.  The  Gothic  architect  always  worked  for 
this  effect  of  light.  For  this  were  the  columns 
made  as  slender  as  possible,  the  stonework  as  deli- 
cate and  light  as  it  could  be  and  still  stand  strong ; 
for  this  were  the  buttresses  and  flying  buttresses 
made  that  the  walls  might  stand  firm  even  although 
they  seem  to  be  almost  all  of  glass.  The  reason  for 
this  method  of  construction  can  easily  be  known 
in  every  Gothic  church,  but  the  actual  effect  of  it 
can  hardly  be  appreciated  anywhere  else  in  the 
same  way  as  at  Chartres. 

This,  then,  is  a  new  impression  —  something  that 
has  been  dreamed  of  but  never  really  seen  before 
—  this  magnificent  effulgence  of  gorgeous  yet  sub- 
dued color  that  tells  why  Gothic  aisles  were  "pict- 
ured aisles."     How  can  it  be  described?    In   other 


r'   V 


THE  CATHEDRAL  OF  CHARTRES 


BEAUVAIS    AND   CHARTRES  23 

churches  the  imagination  has  put  into  the  windows 
the  colors  that  must  have  been  meant  to  be  there, 
but  at  Chartres  they  are  really  before  the  eye,  and 
they  surpass  the  dream.  Here  is  the  perfect  blend- 
ing of  color  and  light.  In  how  many  different  ways 
it  can  be  produced !  It  is  a  revelation.  The  win- 
dows are  not  alike  except  in  their  perfect  beauty. 
In  some  red  predominates,  in  others  blue,  in  others 
again  a  most  delicious  amber.  Forms,  figures, 
designs,  combinations  —  all  are  infinitely  varied, 
and  yet  by  some  marvel  of  art  all  produce  an 
overwhelming  effect  of  the  magnificence  of  color, 
beautiful  in  itself,  but  illuminated  and  made  to  live 
by  the  sun. 

It  is  useless  to  tell  about  the  designs  of  the 
different  windows,  because  these  must  be  studied 
out  with  care  and  difficulty  even  in  the  church 
itself.  They  do  not  count  at  all  in  the  general 
effect,  although  it  is  interesting  to  know  that  many 
of  these  glorious  windows  were  given  to  the  church 
by  guilds  of  trade  in  the  city,  and  each  guild  that 
gave  one  sought  to  commemorate  itself  by  putting 
some  thought  of  its  trade  into  the  design  of  the 
window. 

The  armorers,  and  the  shoemakers,  the  weavers, 
the  workers  in  many  an  industrial  art,  are  here 
remembered   by   their   gifts.      But   line   as   it  is   to 


24  BEAUVAIS  AND  CHARTRES 

think  how  these  trades-unions  wished  to  make 
their  church  noble  and  beautiful,  it  must  be  con- 
fessed that  they  are  hardly  thought  of  beneath  the 
windows  of  Chartres.  The  general  effect  is  too 
superb  to  permit  of  lingering  on  any  study  of  detail 
for  one  who  must  take  away  only  an  impression 
because  he  cannot  stay  long  enough  to  study  the 
whole  design  carefully.  One  thought,  however,  is 
here  impressed  upon  the  mind  as  perhaps  nowhere 
else  among  the  Gothic  churches,  and  that  is  the 
thought  of  the  place  that  stained  glass  holds  as  a 
distinguishing  characteristic  of  Gothic  architecture. 
It  used  to  be  said  that  the  pointed  arch  determined 
this  style.  Afterward  the  architects  concluded  that 
the  buttress  and  the  flying  buttress  really  distinguish 
Gothic  from  other  kinds  of  building.  Perhaps  as 
true  a  definition  as  any  may  be  the  giving  as  much 
space  in  the  walls  as  possible  to  stained  glass. 

Chartres  certainly  stands  clearly  out  with  its 
testimony  that  such  was  the  principal  aim  of  the 
architect  who  planned  this  building  so  wondrously 
illuminated. 


CHAPTER  IV 

TOURS 

The  cathedral  of  Tours  has  a  beauty  quite  its 
own,  different  from  Amiens,  Beauvais,  or  Chartres, 
or  any  of  the  others.  The  beauty  of  its  fa9ade 
and  its  stained  glass  are  its  greatest  charms,  al- 
though the  nave  is  very  fine,  and  the  peculiar 
arrangement  of  windows  over  the  west  portal  is 
almost  unique,  and,  from  the  inside,  exceedingly 
beautiful. 

In  the  facade  the  richness  of  what  might  be  called 
decorated  lines  is  simply  extraordinary.  The  inter- 
lacing arches,  points,  and  pinnacles  are  so  numerous 
that  the  eye  can  hardly  follow  them  all  in  the  course 
of  their  orderly  architectural  development.  There 
used  to  be  the  ornament  of  niches  filled  with  saints 
and  kings.  The  niches  are  there,  but  the  statues  are 
not,  for  the  Revolution  swept  these  away.  If  the 
architect's  original  design  had  been  carried  out  and 
his  work  not  disturbed,  this  facade  would  be  in  some 
ways  even  richer  than  that  of  Amiens.     The  construc- 

25 


26  TOUES 

tive  part  is  all  here,  even  nearly  to  the  top  of  the 
towers,  and  the  beauty  of  it  is  marvellous. 

The  loss  of  the  statues  is  pitiful  because  of  the 
sad  emptiness  of  the  vacant  niches.  The  sculptures 
might  not  have  been  great  works  of  art,  but  even 
if  they  were  far  from  great  they  are  needed  to  com- 
plete this  fa9ade  of  Tours  cathedral. 

There  is  another  trouble,  which  is  that  the  towers 
are  in  the  Renascence  manner,  which  does  not  har- 
monize with  the  Gothic.  Still  these  tower-tops  are 
so  far  above  the  rest  that  they  interfere  but  little 
with  the  general  effect — less,  in  fact,  than  if  they  had 
not  been  completed  at  all,  as  is  the  case  at  Amiens. 

The  first  impression  of  this  fagade  is  that  the 
architect  has  so  harmoniously  composed  and  con- 
structed it  that  it  goes  to  the  heart  at  the  very  first 
glance  with  a  thought  of  that  upward  springing  — 
that  quick  look  toward  heaven  that  only  true  Gothic 
can  give.  Afterward  comes  a  malediction  on  the 
Revolution.  Why  were  these  iconoclasts  permitted 
to  do  such  dire  damage  to  the  greatest  works  of  the 
architect's  art?  At  first  it  seems  unpardonable,  and 
then  comes  the  thought  of  the  provocation.  The 
blinded  dwellers  in  the  cave-houses  by  the  Loire 
might  well  have  destroyed  anything  if  they  thought 
freedom  could  thus  come  to  them ;  and  surely  those 
who  lived  always  in  the  darkness  of  caves  could  not 


TOURS  27 

be  expected  to  have  a  keen  appreciation  of  what  is 
beautiful  to  the  eye.  The  priests,  who  prayed  in 
vain,  if  they  prayed  at  all,  to  save  them  from  their 
sufferings,  had  been  not  only  powerless  but  oppres- 
sive. They  had  added  burdens  to  the  daily  life, 
promising  a  reward  beyond  but  offering  little  here, 
and  the  saints  seemed  to  share  in  this  view  of  the 
peasant's  life  on  earth.  Therefore  the  people,  once 
getting  the  power,  took  all  into  tlieir  own  hands,  and 
being  perforce  blind  because  of  long  living  in  dark- 
ness, tore  down  together  the  evil  and  the  good,  hav- 
ing no  power  of  discrimination.  Alas!  for  the  facade 
of  Tours.  Alas !  for  the  windows  and  the  monuments. 
Alas !    for  many  a  noble  building  gone  forever. 

Not  all  the  windows  of  Tours  cathedral  were  de- 
stroyed. Many  still  remain,  and  they  give  a  glory  to 
the  church.  Nearly  all  those  about  the  lofty  choir 
are  preserved  intact,  just  as  they  were  meant  to 
be  in  the  architect's  design.  I  do  not  know  why 
they  were  spared  in  the  Revolution ;  perhaps  it  was 
a  "  happy  accident,"  such  as  saved  the  windows  of 
St.  Ouen.  Nor  do  I  know  why  they  have  not  been 
spoken  of  more  enthusiastically,  for  no  description 
of  them  can  be  adequate  without  some  enthusiasm. 
They  tell  of  the  lives  of  the  saints  whose  num- 
bers and  deeds  never  cease  to  be  extraordinary. 
They  also  show  the  coats  of  arms  of  two  or  three 


28  TOURS 

sovereigns  of  France,  and  of  the  city  of  Tours  with 
its  clustered  towers. 

It  is  most  difficult  to  understand  how  such  utterly- 
dissimilar  and  incongruous  subjects  could  have  been 
used  by  the  artist  of  the  windows  and  wrought  into  a 
perfect  harmony.  It  must  be  that  the  artist  wor- 
shipped his  art  more  than  he  did  the  saints,  or  the 
kings,  or  the  cities,  and  therefore  he  subordinated  all 
of  them  to  the  effect  of  color  —  the  very  soul  and 
essence  of  the  art  of  stained  glass. 

The  story  of  the  windows  may  be  found  out  by 
patient  study,  but  while  so  studying  the  general 
effect  is  lost,  and  this  is  the  chief  glory  of  it.  It  is 
a  radiant  flood  of  light,  and  yet  it  is  not  full  sunlight 
but  li^ht  much  subdued  and  softened.  It  is  as  if  the 
full  rays  of  the  sun  were  too  dazzling  for  mortal  eyes, 
and  therefore  the  parts  of  the  rays  that,  joined,  make 
all  its  whiteness  must  be  taken  separately  and  thus 
more  gently  led  to  the  eye,  that  the  beauty  of  each 
may  be  felt  in  turn  —  the  red,  the  yellow,  the  green, 
the  purple,  and  all  the  shades  of  them.  If  each  part 
alone  is  so  beautiful,  a  deeper  thought  is  suggested 
about  the  glory  of  the  sun  ray  in  which  they  all  are 
merged.  It  may  be  there  is  some  significance  in  it. 
It  may  be  the  artist  thought  only  of  beauty.  The 
effect  cannot  be  wholly  analyzed,  but  it  can  partly  be 
felt.     These   windows  have    their  picturesque  side, 


TOURS  29 

too,  different  from  their  religious  and  artistic  sugges- 
tions. When  the  cardinals  and  bishops  and  priests 
with  all  their  splendid  train  were  beneath  them,  and 
when  the  kinsrs  and  nobles  of  the  land  were  there 
in  all  the  richness  of  robes  of  court,  or  gleaming 
armor,  what  play  of  color  there  must  have  been ! 
How  the  tiaras  and  the  crowns  and  the  helmets 
would  softly  glow  and  gleam  as  they  passed  beneath 
window  after  window,  each  touching  them  with  a 
different  hue :  and  as  they  neared  the  high  altar  the 
candle-light  would  add  still  another  color  note. 

What  artist  can  rightly  picture  such  scenes?  Many 
have  tried  but  few  have  succeeded,  perhaps  because 
there  is,  after  all,  a  key-note  of  religion  beneath  all 
the  gorgeous  color,  that  must  be  struck  if  the  picture 
is  to  be  true.  It  cannot  be  thought  that  such  great 
and  faithful  artists  as  made  the  windows  of  Tours 
cathedral  worked  without  much  religious  inspiration. 
Their  work  was  consecrated,  at  least  in  part,  and  it 
is  not  possible  to  understand  it  without  appreciating 
to  a  certain  extent  the  reverent  worshipping  spirit 
that  prompted  it. 

Through  these  windows  come  thoughts  of  God 
and  the  praise  of  Him,  loveliest  suggestions  of  na- 
ture's own  beauty,  and  stories  and  pictures  of  the 
lives  that  were  lived  beneath  the  tender  glories  of 
their  softened  light. 


CHAPTER  V 

CAEN 

William  the  Conqueror  and  Matilda,  his  wife, 
had  married  contrary  to  the  rules  of  the  Roman 
Church  as  to  marriages  between  those  related  by- 
blood.  For  this  reason  they  sought  absolution  from 
the  Pope,  and  it  may  be  that  the  great  churches  at 
Caen  were  a  part  of  their  penance.  Such  is  the  his- 
tory of  the  foundation  of  many  a  church  in  France, 
though  the  buildings  were  carried  on  and  brought  to 
completion  by  those  who  had  nothing  to  do  with  the 
sin  of  the  founders. 

William  founded  the  Abbaye  aux  Hommes,  Ma- 
tilda the  Abbaye  aux  Dames.  Both  are  magnificent 
churches.  They  are  especially  interesting  to  those 
who  have  studied  the  Gothic  architecture  of  France, 
and  can  find  here  a  contrast  to  that  style ;  for  these 
churches,  although  not  wholly  Norman,  are  partly 
so,  and  they  show  perhaps  as  well  as  any  others  what 
the  Norman  church-builder  could  do.  His  power  is 
more  in  strength  than  in  beauty.     His  people  had 

30 


THE    CASTLE    OF    FALAISE 


CAEN  31 

conquered  others  often.  Probably  he  thought  they 
always  would  conquer.  The  Gothic  architects  be- 
longed to  a  conquering  people,  too,  but  they  do  not 
express  their  thoughts  of  conquest  in  their  churches. 
On  the  contrary,  they  seemed  to  be  seeking  the 
beauty  of  light.     The  contrast  is  interesting. 

The  Abbaye  aux  Hommes  at  Caen  has  a  most 
imposing  facade.  There  is  no  sculptured  ornament 
about  its  porches,  and  yet  it  w^as  the  inspiration 
even  of  such  fa9ades  as  that  of  Amiens.  Here  was 
the  strength.  Such  buildings  would  stand  unless 
the  solid  earth  beneath  them  gave  way.  The  Gothic 
architect  took  the  strength  and  added  the  ornament. 

The  same  thought  is  suggested  by  the  Abbaye  aux 
Dames.  The  fagade  is  even  more  imposing  than  the 
other,  but  still  there  is  no  ornament  such  as  the 
Gothic  builder  always  uses.  Nevertheless,  there  is 
a  wonderful  grandeur  in  the  building.  It  seems 
almost  like  a  fort  of  religion,  built  for  defence  and 
not  at  all  for  attack.  Within  these  solid  walls  the 
noble  ladies  for  whom  Queen  Matilda  built  the 
abbaye  could  live  in  peace.  There  could  be  no 
entrance  for  any  one  who  wished  to  disturb  their 
quietness. 

One  part  of  this  church,  which  is  similar  in  posi- 
tion to  the  choir  in  Gothic  cathedrals,  is  entirely 
shut  off  from  the  rest  of  the  building.     It  was  here 


32  CAEN 

that  those  women  who  had  taken  the  veil  wor- 
shipped, quite  secluded  from  all  the  rest  of  the 
world.  In  the  midst  of  them  was,  and  still  is,  the 
tomb  of  Matilda  herself.  How  many  masses  for 
the  repose  of  the  queen's  soul  must  have  been  said 
around  the  simple  slab  of  stone  a  little  elevated 
above  the  pavement,  that  marks  the  place  where 
her  bones  were  laid! 

The  massive  character  of  the  Norman  architecture 
is  not  well  suited  to  church  interiors.  It  is  impos- 
ing because  of  its  strength — but  it  does  not  admit 
enough  of  the  light.  The  windows,  both  in  the 
Conqueror's  abbaye  and  that  of  his  wife,  are  very 
small,  except  in  the  parts  of  the  buildings  added 
later,  which  are  Gothic  in  style.  There  would  have 
been  no  spires  for  the  faQade  of  the  Abbaye  aux 
Hommes  if  the  Norman  builder's  work  had  been 
let  alone.  He  did  not  care  any  more  about  spires 
than  he  did  about  great  windows. 

Neither  aspiration  nor  light  seems  to  have  had 
much  to  do  with  his  plan  of  building.  He  was 
very  Roman  in  his  ways,  but  he  was  not  imagina- 
tive, nor  was  he  poetical.  Nevertheless,  the  great 
round  arches  rising  one  above  the  other  to  the  top 
of  the  clerestory  are  certainly  very  impressive.  It 
is  a  pity  that  William  the  Conqueror's  church  should 
ever  have    been    touched    by   a    Gothic   architect. 


CAEN  33 

There  should  liave  been  no  spires,  no  apse  with 
pointed  lancet-windows.  It  should  all  have  been 
left  massive,  strong,  without  ornament  and  dimly 
lighted.  This  Norman  spirit  was  grim  enough,  and 
certainly  here  at  Caen  it  should  find  its  fitting  em- 
bodiment in  stone  ;  for  it  was  here  that  the  great 
soldier's  bones  were  laid,  who  perhaps  better  than 
any  other  man  expressed  in  his  life  the  essential 
typical  qualities  of  the  Norman  character. 

It  is  a  great  pity,  too,  that  the  soldier-king's  bones 
were  not  allowed  to  remain  in  the  church  he  built. 
His  tomb  is  there,  but  it  is  empty,  and  has  long  been 
so.  The  Calvinists  threw  his  ashes  to  the  winds. 
It  seems  a  strange  irony  of  fate  that  the  man  so 
irresistible  in  his  life  should  have  been  quite  de- 
serted at  his  death,  and  even  his  remains  not  allowed 
to  lie  in  peace.  The  great  Conqueror  was  buried 
by  the  private  charity  of  one  of  his  knights,  and 
during  the  funeral  services  a  peasant  demanded 
money  for  the  grave,  which,  as  he  claimed,  was  on 
his  land,  and  had  never  been  paid  for.  The  bishop 
had  to  pay  him  before  the  funeral  ceremonies  could 
be  completed. 

Caen  is  also  fascinating  because  it  shows  so  clearly 
the  growth  of  the  Gothic  from  the  Norman  architect- 
ure. One  of  the  most  beautiful  Gothic  spires  in 
France  is  that  of   the  church  of   St.   Pierre.     One 


34  CAEN 

passes  it  in  going  from  one  abbaye  to  the  other.  It  is 
an  absolutely  perfect  example  of  early  Gothic  ;  quite 
as  beautiful  in  its  lines  even  as  the  apse  of  Amiens. 
Mr.  Ruskin  would  say  that  no  higher  praise  could  be 
given  to  a  Gothic  building,  and  he  would  be  quite 
correct  in  saying  so.  Nevertheless,  even  such  praise 
is  deserved  by  the  spire  of  St.  Pierre.  It  is  not  richly 
ornamented,  for  it  is  of  the  early  style  just  after  the 
Norman,  but  it  rises  arch  upon  arch  and  pinnacle 
upon  pinnacle,  to  the  vanishing  point  against  the 
sky  with  that  grace,  that  uplifting  spirit,  only 
known  to  the  Gothic  builders. 

That  first  experience  of  Caen  is  hardly  to  be  had 
elsewhere.  To  pass  from  the  great  Norman  church 
of  William  to  the  equally  great  Norman  church  of 
his  wife,  and  on  the  way  to  see  an  exquisite  spire  in 
quite  a  different  style :  it  is  rare,  indeed,  to  see  so 
many  and  so  different  noble  monuments  of  religious 
building  so  closely  grouped  together. 

But  the  charm  and  interest  of  Caen  are  not  ex- 
hausted even  by  the  two  abbayes  and  the  wonderful 
spire  of  St.  Pierre.  There  are  most  interesting  exam- 
ples of  the  Renascence  architecture  also,  especially 
the  old  Bourse,  the  court  of  which  is  extremely 
picturesque.  When  the  architecture  of  the  time  of 
Francis  I.  is  added  to  that  of  the  Norman  days  and 
the  time  of  the  Gothic  building,  it  would  seem  as 


CAEN  35 

if  the  cup  of  interest  for  an  architect  would  be  full 
to  overflowing. 

Only  a  short  distance  from  Caen  is  Falaise,  where 
William  the  Conqueror  was  born.  Here  is  one  of 
the  most  interesting  of  the  Norman  castles  of  France. 
It  was  built  like  the  chateaux  of  Touraine,  on  the 
top  of  a  hill,  but  it  was  more  strongly  fortified  than 
most  of  the  castles  by  the  Loire.  It  was  a  place  for 
war.  Luxury,  ease,  even  comfort,  had  no  part  in  it. 
The  immense  donjon  keep  is  as  stern  as  was  the  Bas- 
tille. The  tower  of  Talbot  beside  it  is  just  as  stern, 
though  taller  and  more  beautiful  in  form.  There 
were  oubliettes  in  it  and  dungeons. 

These  great  towers  look  down  upon  the  valley  of 
the  Ante,  a  little  stream  which  does  its  best  to  fer- 
tilize the  land  about  it,  and  succeeds,  as  the  French 
streams  have  a  habit  of  doing. 

Duke  Robert  of  Normandy  stood  one  day  in  the 
donjon  at  what  they  call  a  window,  and  he  looked 
down  at  the  stream  and  the  valley  far  below.  In  the 
water  was  bathing  Arlette,  the  daughter  of  a  tanner. 
There  were  many  tanners  in  Falaise  then,  and  there 
are  many  now.  The  duke  was  charmed  with  the 
young  girl,  and  she  became  William  the  Conqueror's 
mother.  The  room  in  which  he  was  born  is  little 
better  than  a  cell.  It  has,  however,  a  chimney,  and 
that  must  have  seemed  quite  luxurious  in  those  days. 


36  CAEN 

There  was  a  recessed  place  for  the  bed,  and  some 
other  recesses  in  the  masonry,  probably  intended  for 
toilet  articles.  There  could  have  been  little  comfort 
about  it,  though  possibly  the  walls  were  hung  with 
tapestry.  In  this  room,  which  seems  like  a  cave  in 
a  vast  mountain  of  masonry,  the  conqueror  of  Eng- 
land was  born.  In  the  great  abbaye  he  built  near  by 
at  Caen  his  bones  were  laid  to  rest,  though  not  al- 
lowed to  rest  there. 

The  story  and  the  art  of  Caen  and  Falaise  are 
intensely  interesting  to  all  who  speak  the  English 
language. 


CHAPTER  VI 

EOUEN 

In  Rouen  almost  every  form  of  Gothic  architect- 
ure can  be  studied  as  perhaps  in  no  other  city. 
There  were  at  one  time  thirty-two  churches  here. 
One-half  were  destroyed,  mostly  at  the  time  of  the 
Revolution.  Sixteen  remain,  and  in  these  can  be  seen 
very  nearly  all  the  French  Gothic  architect  knew 
about  church  building ;  and  in  the  Palais  de  Justice 
can  equally  well  be  seen  what  he  could  do  in  civic 
architecture. 

The  cathedral  is  wonderfully  interesting  and  quite 
different,  especially  in  the  fuQade,  from  any  of  the 
other  great  Gothic  cathedrals.  The  contrast  between 
this  and  other  noted  facades  comes  from  the  very  cu- 
rious fact  that  although  the  ancient  fagade  was  very 
beautiful,  George  d'Amboise,  the  famous  cardinal 
of  Louis  XII.'s  time,  thought  he  could  improve  it 
by  adding  pinnacles  and  porches  and  the  most  elabo- 
rate sculptured  ornament.  All  this  lavish  wealth 
of  ornamentation  was  put  on  later  by  him.    It  formed 

37 


38  KOUEN 

no  part  of  the  original  design,  and  yet  it  is  wonder- 
fully beautiful. 

The  critics  mzty  talk  as  they  please  about  too  great 
elaboration,  too  close  an  approach  to  a  debased  style 
of  Gothic.  Nevertheless,  the  fa9ade  is  one  of  the 
most  interesting  in  F;irope,  and  the  porches  at  each 
side  are  no  less  remarkable.  They  are  hardly  to  be 
surpassed  anywhere  in  richness  of  ornament,  and  they 
are  beautiful  in  form  also.  The  beauty  of  their  deli- 
cate traceries  and  the  effect  of  the  myriad  statues 
and  carvings  that  adorn  them  are  only  enhanced  by 
contrast  with  the  severer  early  pointed  style  which 
is  seen  in  the  lower  part  of  the  towers  at  either  side 
of  the  fa9ade. 

But  beautiful,  wonderful,  as  the  cathedral  is,  the 
church  of  St.  Ouen  far  surpasses  it,  perhaps  because 
it  is  one  of  the  very  few  Gothic  churches  in  Europe 
carried  to  completion  upon  the  original  design.  It 
may  be  added  that  it  is  one  of  the  very  few  that  are 
entirely  finished.  The  first  stone  of  St.  Ouen  was 
laid  in  1318,  and  the  principal  part  of  the  church  was 
finished  before  1500.  Tliat  is  a  very  short  history  for 
a  Gothic  church.  The  two  spires  of  the  fa9ade  were 
added  later,  but  they  are  at  least  in  sympathy  with  the 
design  of  the  architect,  though  not  quite  as  he  would 
have  wished.  If  one  dreamed  of  pure  Gothic  at  the 
very  moment  when  richest  ornament  was  combined 


KOUEN  39 

with  purest  line,  he  would  find  the  realization  of  his 
dream  at  St.  Ouen.  There  is  no  Gothic  interior  less 
interfered  with  by  choir  screen  or  chapels.  Cer- 
tainly there  is  none  more  perfect  in  unity  of  style. 
These  technical  words  mean  little  when  one  tries  to 
suggest  a  thought  of  beauty.  The  secret  of  the 
beauty  of  St.  Ouen  is,  as  I  think,  closely  connected 
with  its  columns.  They  rise  together  with  the  same 
lines  and  forms,  and  when  they  can  all  be  seen  from 
one  end  of  the  vast  church  to  the  other,  it  is  better 
than  if  some  were  round  and  some  square  as  happens 
sometimes,  and  far  better  than  it  would  be  if  a  great 
choir  screen,  however  beautifully  carved  and  orna- 
mented, prevented  a  complete  view  of  the  church 
from  end  to  end. 

There  is  a  custodian  here,  called  the  "  Swiss,"  per- 
haps from  some  idea  about  the  Pope's  guard.  He 
told  me  that  he  had  taken  ]\Ir.  Ruskin  many  times 
about  the  church  of  St.  Ouen,  within  and  without, 
and  that  he  had  heard  him  say  there  was  no  purer 
or  finer  examj^le  of  Gothic  architecture  in  existence. 
But  these  people  who  live  in  the  church  and  point 
out  its  beauties  every  day  to  those  who  come  to  see 
it  must  be  pardoned  for  a  little  enthusiasm  some- 
times. It  may  be  that  Mr.  Ruskin  himself  will  have 
to  beg  forgiveness  for  the  same  fault. 

This  church  has  a  strange    history.     There  were 


40  KOUEN 

three  churches  before  this  one  on  the  same  site.  Of 
the  latest  of  these  three,  built  b}^  a  nephew  of  Wil- 
liam the  Conqueror,  only  one  small,  round  Norman 
tower  remains.  The  present  church  was  once  an 
armory  and  a  stable  at  the  same  time.  This  was  in 
the  days  of  the  French  Revolution. 

Curiously  enough,  such  use  of  the  church  was  not 
a  misfortune,  but  a  good  happening.  In  order  that 
there  might  not  be  draughts  from  the  sides  on  the 
armory  fires,  the  stained  glass  windows  were  left  un- 
touched, and  because  the  armorers,  whose  trade  was 
similar  to  that  of  the  iron-workers,  greatly  admired 
the  hammered-iron  screen  about  the  choir,  that  was 
not  disturbed  either.  Thus  two  of  the  most  exqui- 
site works  of  art  in  St.  Ouen  were  preserved  by  what 
some  would  call  an  accident,  and  others  the  hand  of 
Providence. 

Another  curious  result  of  the  use  of  the  church  as 
an  armory  is  the  effect  of  the  smoke  of  the  forges  on 
the  columns.  This  has  given  to  the  stone  a  bluish- 
gray  color,  very  peculiar  and  extremely  beautiful. 
The  natural  color  of  the  stone  was  probably  similar 
to  that  of  the  columns  of  the  cathedral,  which  are 
almost  yellow.  St.  Ouen,  then,  is  one  of  the  few 
churches  which  were  helped  by  the  French  Revolu- 
tion. 

The  central  tower  of   this  church  is  one  of   the 


KOUEN  41 

most  beautiful  in  Europe,  the  only  one  that  sur- 
passes it  being  that  of  Burgos.  The  cap  of  the 
tower  is  in  the  form  of  the  crown  of  Normandy, 
and  its  ornamentation  is  mostly  the  fleur-de-lis,  as 
was  that  of  the  crown  itself. 

But  St.  Ouen,  with  its  columns  and  its  tower,  is 
not  the  only  work  of  the  Gothic  art  that  is  to  be 
seen  at  Rouen.  There  is  also  the  Palais  de  Justice. 
This  most  beautiful  building  shows  that  the  same 
manner  of  construction  that  has  been  used  with  such 
wonderful  effect  in  the  churches  may  also  be  applied 
successfully  to  quite  a  different  use. 

The  town  halls  of  Antwerp  and  Bruges  are  perhaps 
the  most  perfect  examples  of  this  use  of  the  Gothic 
principles,  but  the  Palais  de  Justice  at  Rouen  is  not 
far  behind  them  in  beauty.  It  is  built  about  a  court 
of  which  it  surrounds  three  sides.  The  other  side  is 
left  open  for  an  entrance  and  to  give  light  to  the 
rooms  within.  The  building  is  not  high  —  two  stories 
only  in  some  parts,  and  three  in  others.  It  is  not 
imposing,  nor  is  there  any  effort  for  such  an  effect, 
but  it  is  beautiful  in  a  way  most  wonderful  when 
one  thinks  what  problem  of  usefulness  the  architect 
had  to  solve  before  he  could  think  at  all  about  the 
beauty  of  it.  He  had  to  provide  both  great  and  small 
rooms  within,  and  all  were  to  be  well  lighted.  The 
building  as  a  whole  was  to  be  symmetrical,  and  pleas- 


42  EOUEN 

ing  in  form  and  proportion.  These  were  the  first 
things  to  be  thought  of.  After  that  came  the  ques- 
tion about  where  the  ornament  would  best  be  placed, 
and  what  kind  of  ornament  it  should  be. 

The  architect  chose  to  centralize  the  extericrr  orna- 
ment upon  the  piers  at  each  side  of  the  windows, 
and  the  pinnacles  surmounting  them.  These  are  ex- 
quisitely carved  and  greatly  varied  in  size  and  form. 
The  judges  needed  a  small  room  into  which  they 
might  retire  for  deliberation.  To  meet  this  need,  and 
at  the  same  time  vary  the  lines  of  his  faQade,  the 
architect  made  an  oriel  window,  and  he  put  it  in  the 
centre  where  its  beauty  would  best  be  appreciated. 
This  oriel  window  is  one  of  the  finest  examples  of 
civic  Gothic  architecture  in  Europe. 

Within  this  building,  whose  exterior  is  so  charming, 
are  noble  halls  and  other  rooms  of  great  size.  One 
of  these  halls  is  called  "  La  Salle  des  Pas  perdus  "  — 
a  free  translation  of  which  would  be  "  The  Room 
where  Time  is  wasted."  It  means  that  the  lawyers 
walked  up  and  down  in  this  hall  with  their  clients, 
consulting  with  them  there  instead  of  doing  that  in 
private  rooms,  as  is  the  custom  nowadays.  Surely  it  is 
a  satire  upon  the  legal  profession  to  call  such  a  place 
by  a  name  that  is  really  insulting.  The  hall  itself 
is  worthy  of  a  better  name,  for  it  is  lofty,  spacious, 
beautiful  in  proportion,  and  truly  Gothic  in  spirit. 


ROUEN  43 

The  court  room  where  the  trials  of  criminals  take 
place  is  very  fine.  It  has  a  most  splendid  ceiling  of 
oak  —  not  in  the  ordinary  raftered  form,  but  with 
most  intricate,  interlacing  beams  with  pendants  a 
few  feet  apart  which  must  have  been  intended  to 
support  candelabra,  though  none  are  there  now. 
Above  the  chair  of  the  chief  justice,  on  the  wall 
behind  it,  is  a  large  crucifix.  This  is  always  in  a 
French  criminal  court,  and  it  is  used  in  the  oath 
taken  by  the  witnesses. 

It  is  a  great  pity  there  is  no  association  with  Joan 
of  Arc  in  this  magnificent  building.  Her  story 
touches  with  poetry,  romance,  and  the  spirit  of  relig- 
ion, every  place  which  was  the  scene  of  any  event  in 
her  most  remarkable  life. 

She  was  not  tried  in  the  Palais  de  Justice  of 
Rouen,  but  in  a  round  tower  with  a  conical  top  in 
quite  another  part  of  the  town.  The  real  tower  no 
longer  exists,  but  it  has  been  replaced  by  one  similar 
to  it  on  the  same  spot. 

The  original  tower  was  part  of  a  castle  which  has 
altogether  disappeared.  Nor  can  one  be  sure  exactly 
where  this  peasant  maiden,  the  saviour  of  her  coun- 
try, was  burned  at  the  stake.  There  is  a  fountain  in 
the  Place  de  la  Pucelle  with  a  hideous  modern  statue 
above,  which  was  once  supposed  to  mark  the  place, 
but  further  investigation  has  shown  that   the   very 


44  BOUEN 

spot  where  she  was  martyred  was  not  there  but  a 
short  distance  away  in  the  market-place.  A  tablet 
of  granite  with  a  commemorative  inscription  has 
been  inserted  in  the  sidewalk  by  the  market  upon 
the  spot  where  it  is  thought  the  stake  was  raised  and 
the  fagots  piled  up  about  the  heroic  Maid  of  Dom- 
remy.  It  is  in  the  very  midst  of  the  busy  life  of 
that  people  whose  existence  as  a  nation  owed  so  much 
to  her  devotion. 

Impressive  as  this  thought  is,  it  is  more  impressive 
still  to  think  that  a  monument  has  been  raised  to  her 
honor  upon  the  hill-top  of  Bon  Secours  which  over- 
looks Rouen,  and  that  people  visit  it  as  they  would 
go  to  the  shrine  of  a  saint. 

A  more  commanding,  beautiful,  and  impressive  site 
for  such  a  monument  could  hardly  be  imagined. 
The  river  Seine,  broad  and  strong,  flows  slowly  by 
the  foot  of  the  hill.  It  seems  to  wish  to  linger  there 
and  lift  a  mirrored  form  to  answer  like  an  echo  to 
the  almost  speaking  spirit  of  the  statue  above. 

Below  rise  the  spires  and  towers  of  the  cathedral, 
of  St.  Ouen,  St.  Andr6,  and  the  tower  of  the  maiden's 
trial.  These  come  from  the  olden  time.  There  are 
chimneys  too,  many  of  them  suggesting  the  busy 
industries  which  might  not  have  been  there  now 
unless  Joan  of  Arc  had  done  what  she  was  called 
upon  to  do. 


KOUEN"  45 

The  monument  itself  is  quite  elaborate  in  con- 
struction. There  is  a  chapel,  and  above  this  rises  the 
structure  in  which  the  statue  stands.  There  are  two 
smaller  structures  of  similar  character  on  either  side, 
in  which  are  figures  of  saints.  There  is  no  need  of 
describing  anything  but  the  statue  itself,  which  is 
one  of  the  greatest  works  of  the  art  of  sculpture 
that  has  been  produced  even  by  this  wonderful 
school  of  France  —  the  third  distinctively  great  one 
of  the  world.  Barrias  was  the  sculptor,  and  he  was 
certainly  inspired  in  his  work  with  some  spirit  that 
has  made  this  statue  more  alive  even  than  ordinary 
people  are.  It  is  not  the  living  Joan  of  Arc  alone  — 
it  is  what  she  did,  what  she  thought,  all  the  trial  and 
trouble  of  her  time,  and  the  spiritual  power  that  pre- 
vailed not  only  in  the  battles  but  at  the  stake. 

This  simple  maid,  this  peasant  girl  of  Domr^my, 
believed  in  her  God  and  her  country,  and  because  of 
her  belief  came  her  success.  It  is  the  power  of  faith. 
There  was  courage  with  it,  too  —  nor  did  that  fail 
even  when  the  flames  rose  about  her.  She  asked  her 
confessor  to  hold  the  crucifix  higher,  that  she  might 
see  it  above  the  smoke.  The  Cardinal  of  Winches- 
ter, who  was  looking  on,  became  impatient,  and 
asked  the  priest  who  held  the  crucifix  whether  he 
meant  to  keep  them  there  until  after  dinner-time. 
The  truth  was  with  the  woman  unjustly  condemned 


46  KOUEN 

—  not  with  the  sneering  prelate.  It  is  no  wonder 
the  French  wish  to  have  Joan  of  Arc  canonized. 
There  are  few  saints  in  all  the  long  calendar  who 
better  deserve  the  halo  of  their  sainthood. 

"  Oh !  Captive  maid  upon  tliy  hill-top  lone 
Keeping  perpetual  vigil  o'er  the  land 
Thy  young  heart  broke  to  save,  forever  stand 
Clothed  in  immortal  whiteness,  and  o'ershone 
By  the  wide  heavens  —  a  victim  to  atone 
By  thy  pure  consecration  for  the  crime 
And  shame,  and  madness  of  wild,  warring  time. 
Yea,  stand  through  all  the  ages  to  command 
From  out  the  vast  unseen  by  the  strong  plea 
That  clasps  those  fettered  hands,  a  bright  array 
Of  holy  shapes,  whose  white  wings  silently 
Shall  lead  thy  dear,  loved  land  upon  her  way 
To  victory  divine  on  fields  of  life 
Where  Light  and  Darkness  wage  supernal  strife." 


CHAPTER   VII 

MONT   ST.    MICHEL 

The  two  dearest  places  in  France  to  poets,  artists, 
and  historians  are  Carcassonne  and  Mont  St.  Michel. 
The  two  do  not  greatly  resemble  each  other.  Their 
spirit  is  quite  different,  but  it  seems  like  going  into 
another  century  to  visit  either  of  them.  The  mar- 
vellous resurrection  of  a  life  long  past  which  is  seen 
in  both  is  partly  the  work  of  M.  Viollet-le-Duc  who 
restored  them,  and  it  is  certainly  due  in  part  also  to 
the  wisdom  and  patriotism  of  the  French  which  made 
them  willing  to  restore  their  ancient  monuments 
however  great  the  cost  might  be. 

Mont  St.  Michel  rises  from  the  sea  between 
Avranches  and  Cancale.  It  is  very  near  the  border- 
line between  the  Norman  and  the  Breton,  and  it 
seems  as  if  both  peoples  had  helped  in  the  building 
of  it  because  of  its  wonderful  union  of  strength  and 
picturesqueness.  It  was  an  abbey  once,  one  of  the 
richest  and  most  powerful  in  France,  and  afterward 
it  was  a  fort.  Now  it  is  an  historical  monument, 
visited  by  throngs  of  people  every  day. 

47 


48  MONT   ST.   MICHEL 

There  are  hours  when  Mont  St.  Michel  does  not 
rise  from  the  sea  at  all,  but  is  surrounded  by  a  vast 
waste  of  gray  sand  which  the  receding  tide  has  left 
bare.  It  seems,  then,  far  removed  from  the  habita- 
tions of  men,  built  for  some  mysterious  purpose  in 
a  sad  and  lonely  place  to  which  none  would  wish 
to  come.  It  is  most  grand  and  impressive  in  such 
a  solitude.  Strangely  enough,  when  the  tide  comes 
in,  and  the  place  is  surrounded  by  water,  this  feeling 
of  complete  isolation  disappears.  The  reason  must 
be  that  it  seems  natural  to  approach  places  in  boats, 
while  it  is  not  usual  to  build  great  churches  and 
castles  in  the  midst  of  a  desert  of  wet  sand.  This 
peculiar  situation,  now  in  the  midst  of  rippling 
water,  now  encircled  by  a  great  gray  sand  plain, 
gives  to  Mont  St.  Michel  an  interest  quite  its  own, — 
enough  to  make  it  unique  even  apart  from  the  won- 
derful charm  of  its  architecture. 

The  historical  associations  of  the  place  are  perhaps 
as  interesting  as  anything  about  it.  It  was  dedicated 
to  St.  Michael,  the  patron  saint  of  high  places,  be- 
cause it  happened  one  day  that  a  Benedictine  monk, 
Aubert  by  name,  had  a  vision  in  which  the  mighty 
conqueror  of  the  dragon  appeared  to  him,  and,  point- 
ino-  to  a  rock  risinsr  from  the  sea,  said  he  must  found 
a  monastery  there.  Aubert  did  so.  He  had  no 
trouble  in  finding  a  name  for  it ;  for  when  the  saint 


MONT   ST.   ]SirCHEL  49 

pointed  to  the  high  rock  as  the  pkxce  for  the  build- 
ing, he  must  have  meant  that  the  church  should 
be  called  by  his  own  name.  And  so  it  was.  Natu- 
rally, this  monk,  Aubert,  was  made  a  saint  afterwards. 

The  story  of  this  vision  is  represented  in  a  very 
quaint  bas-relief  over  the  gateway  that  gives  entrance 
to  the  court  in  front  of  the  old  church.  Aubert, 
apparently  just  awakened,  and  still  half  reclining, 
looks  where  the  finger  of  the  angel  points,  and  there 
is  a  great  rock,  and  a  lamb  grazing  on  the  top  of  it. 
Perhaps  here  begin  the  contrasts  of  St.  Michel, — 
the  sternness  of  the  towering  rock,  the  gentleness  of 
the  lamb,  together  in  the  vision  of  the  monk. 

Not  very  long  after  the  abbey  was  founded,  it 
became  a  fort  as  well  as  a  monastery.  Rollo,  the 
first  Duke  of  Normandy,  took  it  under  his  protection, 
and  used  it  for  military  purposes.  When  his  de- 
scendant, William,  went  over  to  conquer  England, 
Mont  St.  Michel  was  able  to  help  him  with  several 
vessels,  doubtless  well  manned,  for  the  monks  knew 
how  to  fight  in  those  days,  and  even  some  of  the 
bishops  too,  like  Odo,  "the  fighting  bishop  of  Ba- 
yeux,"  who  was  William  the  Conqueror's  brother. 

Spiritual  and  military  strength  seem  to  have  been 
combined  here  in  about  equal  proportions  for  a  long 
time.  The  monastery  had  a  great  reputation  for 
its  sanctity,  and  the  fort  could  not  be  taken  even 


50  MONT   ST.    MICHEL 

by  Henry  V.,  whose  armies  had  overrun  all  Nor- 
mandy after  the  battle  of  Agincourt. 

The  contrasts  which  are  so  striking  at  Mont 
St.  Michel  begin  to  become  more  and  more  distinct 
and  sharply  defined.  The  monks  were  praying  and 
singing  and  doing  penance  in  the  church  and 
the  cloisters  on  the  hill-top,  where  the  watchword 
of  their  religion  was  peace,  while  fierce  battle  was 
being  waged  about  the  walls  and  towers  and  ram- 
parts below. 

In  those  old  daj's  the  attacking  soldiers  could 
not  win  because  of  the  strength  of  the  place,  and, 
therefore,  the  monks  prayed  on  in  peace.  Later,  a 
more  insidious  foe  attacked  the  reverend  brethren, 
and  they  were  banished  because  of  immorality. 
They  were  replaced  by  another  order,  and  after 
that  came  the  final  conquest  of  Mont  St.  Michel, — 
the  conquest  of  the  pilgrims.  They  came  here  by 
the  thousand.  The  old  parish  church,  which  is  now, 
and  has  been  for  years,  the  place  of  worship  of  the 
little  town  below  the  fortress  monastery,  is  fairly  full 
of  the  banners  and  votive  offerings  of  those  who 
came  from  near  and  from  far  to  worship  at  this 
sacred  shrine.  For  them  the  portcullis  was  raised,  — 
for  them  the  bridge  was  lowered.  They  had  wel- 
come entrance  where  the  hosts  of  Agincourt's  hero 
could  not  by  any  means  enter. 


MONT   ST.   MICHEL  61 

But  the  brave  defenders  who  resisted  Hemy  V. 
must  not  be  forgotten.  They  were  great  soldiers. 
Louis  d'Estouteville  was  their  chief,  and  there  were 
many  noble  knights  with  him. 

There  is  a  house  near  the  parish  church,  —  the 
church  of  the  pilgrims,  —  the  house  of  Du  Guesclin, 
the  best  and  bravest  among  the  French  chivalry 
of  his  time.  It  is  now  a  museum,  where  many 
curious  things  are  to  be  seen,  among  them  Du  Gues- 
clin's  library,  consisting  of  a  few  enormous  volumes 
resembling  in  size  and  shape  the  old  missals  and 
service-books  of  the  church  that  one  finds  in  the 
sacristies  of  the  oldest  cathedrals.  Here  are  the 
coats  of  arms  of  d'Estouteville  himself,  and  of  all 
those  who  helped  him  defend  the  place  against  the 
English  during  two  sieges,  in  1417  and  1423. 

Close  by  these  warlike  emblems  are  the  "  Treas- 
ures of  St.  Michael,"  crowns  and  heraldic  collars, 
vessels  for  holding  the  sacrament  when  it  was  ele- 
vated before  the  people,  and  many  other  such  things 
—  all  of  them  gifts  of  pilgrims.  These  are  all  modern, 
for  the  irreverent  soldiers  of  the  Revolution  despoiled 
the  ancient  monastery  of  all  its  vast  treasure  of  gold 
and  jewels.  Here,  as  elsewhere  in  this  singular  place, 
the  implements  of  religion  and  of  war  are  side  by 
side. 

All   this  is   only  a  preface  to  Mont  St.  Michel. 


62  MONT   ST.   MICHEL 

The  real  entrance  is  not  that  at  the  end  of  the  long 
causeway  that  leads  from  the  road  to  Pontorson. 
That  gateway  only  pierces  the  walls  about  the  base 
of  the  rock, — walls  tower-crowned,  like  those  of 
Aigues-Mortes,  but  not  so  high  nor  defended  by  so 
many  towers  as  those  of  St.  Louis's  seaport.  Within 
these  were  lines  of  ramparts  which  wind  about  the 
hill,  gradually  ascending  until  the  monastery  is 
reached.  These  are  fortified  in  all  ways  known  to 
mediiseval  warfare.  It  is  plain  the  monks  did  not 
trust  their  defence  to  the  spiritual  arm  any  more 
than  did  the  Bishop  of  Carcassonne.  There  was 
always  the  idea  of  -war  about  Mont  St.  Michel  — 
possibly  because  the  saint  himself  was  so  great  a 
conqueror. 

The  long  ascent  of  the  winding  ramparts  would 
be  tiresome  were  it  not  that  there  is  so  much  of 
interest  to  be  seen  at  every  step  of  the  way. 

At  last  comes  the  real  entrance,  —  a  great  arch 
built  at  the  top  of  a  steep  stone  stairway.  Strangely 
enough,  although  it  is  the  real  entrance  to  the  won- 
ders of  the  monastery,  it  opens  into  the  Salle  des 
Gardes,  the  soldiers'  room.  This  is  a  most  curious 
apartment  built  on  different  levels  connected  by 
flio-hts  of  steps  and  with  an  immense  fireplace  in 
the  lower  part. 

But  when  this  martial  hall  is  passed,  the  path  leads 


MONT   ST.   MICHEL  53 

steei^ly  up  between  the  buildings  of  the  bishop  and 
the  chief  officers  of  the  monastery  on  one  side,  and 
the  church  on  tlie  other.  There  are  bridges  con- 
necting the  two  to  give  private  entrance  to  the 
church  for  the  officiating  clergy,  and  below  the 
bridges  were  portcullises  to  help  the  soldiers  defend 
them. 

Penetrating  farther  and  passing  below  the  bridges 
of  the  priests,  there  is  no  longer  anything  to  suggest 
a  thought  of  battle,  any  more  than  there  is  in  Car- 
cassonne's glorious  cathedral. 

On  entering  the  church,  upon  the  very  top  of  the 
rock  there  comes  a  vision  of  columns  and  arches, 
Norman  and  Gothic,  almost  overwhelming  at  first, 
so  imposing  are  the  massive  piers  and  round  arches 
of  the  Norman,  so  inspiring  the  graceful,  upreaching 
lines  of  the  Gothic  builder's  work. 

The  comparison  of  the  magnificent  stately  Norman 
nave  and  the  exquisite  delicate  Gothic  choir  and  tran- 
septs is  most  instructive,  but  it  is  not  so  interesting  as 
that  between  the  crypt  and  the  cloisters.  It  would 
be  well  if  these  could  be  seen  one  directly  after  the 
other,  but  this  can  hardly  be,  for  they  are  in  different 
parts  of  the  vast  building.  The  crypt  is  under  the 
church ;  the  cloisters  crown  the  Gothic  "  Marvel " 
on  the  other  side  of  the  rock.  Nevertheless,  they 
should  be  kept  together  in  thought,  for  the  contrast 


54  MONT   ST.   MICHEL 

between  them  is  a  never-to-be-forgotten  lesson  in 
architecture. 

The  columns  of  the  crypt  are  so  vast  and  so 
numerous  that  the  Norman  architect  seems  to  have 
thought  he  was  called  upon  to  support  not  one  but 
a  hundred  churches.  So  enormous  and  so  close  to- 
gether are  they  that  the  place  is  dark.  Only  after 
the  eye  becomes  accustomed  to  the  gloom  is  it  possi- 
ble to  realize  the  grandeur,  power,  and  beauty  of 
these  columns.  They  are  great  tree  trunks  that 
begin  to  branch  out  in  the  vault  of  the  crypt,  but 
tower  higher  in  the  columns  of  the  church  until 
their  topmost  branches  intertwine  in  the  arches  of 
the  nave  and  the  transept  and  the  choir  amid  the 
sunshine  of  the  painted  windows. 

Far  above  in  the  full  light  of  day  are  the  cloistei'S 
—  one  of  the  most  exquisite,  delicately  graceful, 
and  richly  ornamented  of  all  Gothic  structures. 
There  is  certainly  some  influence  of  the  Moor  upon 
the  architecture  here,  for  the  cloistered  court  strongly 
resembles  the  Court  of  the  Lions  at  the  Alhambra. 
In  both  the  carvings  are  of  the  richest  beauty  and 
the  forms  of  the  columns  are  similar.  It  is  strange 
that  these  styles  should  come  so  closely  together,  for 
they  had  no  sympathy  in  motive.  It  is  strange, 
also,  that  one  of  the  most  fanciful,  almost  playfully 
decorated  of  Gothic  buildinjrs  should  be  here  in  this 


MONT   ST.    MICHEL  55 

old  Benedictine  monastery  on  the  top  of  a  sea-girt 
rock.  It  seems  as  if  some  magician's  wand  had 
touched  the  cold  stone,  and  made  the  stems  of 
plants  spring  from  it,  and  then  these  blossomed 
of  themselves  into  all  manner  of  lovely  foliage  and 
flowers.  When  this  beautiful  thing  had  come  to 
pass,  the  prayerful,  earnest  spirit  of  man  added 
figures  and  groups  that  might  tell  stories  of  the 
life  of  Him  who  had  taught  the  highest.  The 
charm  of  it  all  is  not  to  be  told  in  words, 
but  it  comes  back  in  dreams  to  those  who  have 
seen  it. 

I  have  said  that  these  cloisters  are  a  part  of  the 
"  Marvel."  Below  them  is  the  Salle  des  Chevaliers, 
and  below  that  the  cellar  of  the  monks,  but  this  is 
only  one-half  of  the  building,  for  there  are  three 
great  halls  connecting  with  these,  the  monks'  dormi- 
tory, the  refectory,  and  the  room  for  the  distribution 
of  alms.  The  whole  six  great  structures  form  one 
building.  They  have  earned  the  name  of  "  Marvel,"' 
partly  because  of  the  immense  difficulty  of  building 
them  at  all  in  such  a  place,  and  partly  on  account 
of  the  very  short  time  required  for  their  construc- 
tion, for  they  were  all  built  in  twenty-five  years  — 
from  1203  to  1228. 

The  thirteenth-century  Gothic  of  France  is  pecu- 
liarly  fine.      These   halls   partake   of  its   spirit,  al- 


56  MONT   ST.   MICHEL 

though   they   are   somewhat  later   than   the   purest 
work   of  that  style. 

The  Salle  des  Chevaliers  is  one  of  the  noblest 
Gothic  halls  in  Europe,  superior,  I  think,  even  to 
the  great  Hall  of  the  States-General  at  Blois.  INIas- 
sive  round  columns  support  tlie  vaulted  roof.  They 
have  not  clustered  columns  about  them,  as  in  later 
Gothic  work,  but  they  do  have  beautifully  carved 
capitals,  with  bold  projections  from  which  rise  the 
superb  pointed  arches  of  the  vault.  There  are  three 
rows  of  them,  and  they  make  the  room  seem  like 
three  aisles  of  a  great  cathedral,  and  yet  they  are  not 
near  enough  together  to  interfere  with  the  unity  of 
the  whole  effect.  The  gray  stone  is  nowhere  touched 
by  color,  but  it  is  flooded  by  the  sunshine  from  the 
windows  on  the  side  toward  the  sea.  The  impres- 
sion of  it  is  that  here  strength,  grace,  and  ornament 
are  joined  in  perfect  proportion. 

In  this  room  the  superiors  of  the  monastery  met 
and  deliberated  about  its  spiritual  and  worldly  affairs. 
Its  name,  however,  comes  from  the  fact  that  here 
Louis  XT.  founded  his  order  of  the  "  Chevaliers  de 
Mont  St.  Michel."  The  decoration  of  the  order  was 
the  collar  of  St.  Michael  —  a  very  rich  necklace,  it 
might  be  called,  which  hung  low  down  on  the  breast, 
and  was  made  of  the  scallop  shells  sacred  to  the  pil- 
grims of   St.    James   linked   together   by  the    cords 


MONT   ST.   MICHEL  57 

those  pilgrims  wore,  with  a  pendent  medallion  of  St. 
Michael  slaying  the  dragon.  The  honor  of  this  order 
was  greatly  coveted. 

The  historical  suggestions  of  the  room  partake  of 
the  spirit  of  Mont  St.  Michel,  because  of  the  start- 
ling contrasts.  There  are  the  holy  fathers  sitting 
among  these  columns  and  caring  for  the  needs  of 
the  church  —  there  is  the  crafty,  cruel,  yet  most  able 
king  sitting  there  too,  and  strengthening  his  throne 
by  a  new  order  of  knighthood,  and  then  there  are 
the  knights  whom  he  created  gathered  there,  each 
wearing  his  superb  collar,  and  all  discussing  affairs 
of  state  and  of  war. 

The  other  halls  are  not  so  interesting  as  the  clois- 
ters, the  church,  or  the  Salle  des  Chevaliers,  but 
nevertheless  they  are  most  impressive,  and  of  very 
pure  and  noble  architecture.  The  dormitory  of  the 
monks  is  a  grand  Gothic  room.  Its  beauty  is  not 
disturbed  by  partitions,  for  there  were  no  cells  in  it. 
The  beds  were  placed  side  by  side  all  in  the  one  long 
hall.  These  monks  seem  to  have  been  unusually 
sociable.  Not  only  did  they  all  sleep  in  the  same 
room,  but  they  ate  in  the  same  room,  too,  —  the  refec- 
tory, which  is  below  the  dormitory.  This  also  is  an 
immense  hall.  One  end  was  partitioned  off  for  a 
kitchen,  and  the  great  chimney  pieces  where  the 
cooking  was  done  still  remain.     Below  this  again  is 


58  MONT   ST.   IVnCHEL 

another  hall  as  large  as  either  of  the  others,  in  which 
alms  were  distributed  to  the  dependents  of  the  mon- 
astery. 

It  is  not  far  from  these  stately  rooms  to  the  dun- 
geons, which  were  as  dark  and  cruel  as  the  others  are 
full  of  light  and  the  spirit  of  devotion.  Strange  that 
there  should  have  been  an  iron  cage  like  that  of  Car- 
dinal Balue  at  the  very  door  of  the  crypt  that  holds 
up  the  church !  Strange  that  dungeon  after  dun- 
geon, unlighted  caves  in  a  cliff  of  masonry,  should 
be  beneath  the  sacred  places  where  monks  prayed 
and  bread  was  given  to  the  poor!  But  not  stranger 
perhaps  than  other  mysteries  in  this  inexplicable 
place.  And  yet  all  that  we  have  seen  thus  far  has 
been  under  the  light  of  day.  Even  the  dungeons 
might  catch  a  gleam  of  it  here  and  there.  The  clois- 
ters Avere  full  of  it,  and  it  streamed  into  the  church 
throuo^h  the  stained  g-lass  windows.  This  full  sun- 
light  everywhere  is  not  the  light  that  romantic 
painters  or  writers  choose.  Scott  said  that  no  one 
had  seen  JVIelrose  Abbey  who  had  not  seen  it  by 
the  light  of  the  moon. 

We  sat  together,  talking,  late  in  the  evening, 
thinking  not  of  moon  or  tide,  but  of  what  we  had 
seen  during  the  day.  The  full  moon  rose  and  the 
tide  came  in.  St.  Michael's  Mount  was  surrounded 
by  water.     Why  not  take  a  boat  and  row  about  it? 


MONT   ST.    MICHEL  59 

Down  into  the  streets  of  the  little  town  we  went  and 
at  last  the  boatmen  were  awakened.  They  came 
down  the  narrow  street  and  we  went  with  them  to 
the  beach.  The  boat  was  unloosed  and  we  were 
afloat,  not  on  the  waters  we  know  but  on  those  of 
our  dreams.  Silently  except  for  the  plash  of  the  oar 
we  passed  beneath  the  outer  walls  whose  towers 
loomed  up  more  grandly  in  the  night.  Farther 
away  we  went  and  then  we  saw  the  ramparts  and 
the  walls  silvered  by  the  moon.  Farther  still  we 
went  and  the  "  Marvel "  rose  above  us.  The  soft, 
but  brilliant  light  touched  ever}^  arch,  every  window, 
every  tower.  No  one  could  tell  exactly  where  each 
hall  was,  for  there  is  a  m3^stery  in  moonlight ;  but  it 
was  sure  that  all  were  there,  and  not  only  that,  —  the 
story  of  them  was  there.  In  this  almost  magical 
light,  with  this  dreamy  sound  of  the  oars'  slow  plash 
Mont  St.  Michel  sprang  again  to  life  as  it  could  not 
beneath  the  full  rays  of  the  sun. 

Attacking  hosts  were  about  it.  They  were  baffled 
by  French  heroes.  Saints  were  on  the  moonlit  rock- 
top —  saints  from  whose  visions  came  all  the  wonder 
of  it.  Prisoners  were  in  the  dungeons.  There  the 
moon  does  not  shine,  but  there  are  deep  shadows  that 
tell  of  the  captives'  sufferings.  There  is  the  martial 
glory  of  the  fortress,  the  spiritual  ecstasy  of  the 
church    and   the   cloister,  the   moan    of    the   weary 


60  MONT   ST.   MICHEL 

prisoner,  tlie  commanding  majesty   of  the   Knights' 
Hall. 

There  is  no  light  in  it  all  now.  These  vast  halls 
are  empty.  The  vigilant  custodians  of  this  great 
historical  monument  of  France  sleep  after  the  ardu- 
ous labors  of  the  day.  There  is  no  sign  of  life  in  all 
the  immense  fortress-monastery.  There  is  no  one 
on  the  waters  of  the  rising  tide  about  it.  Slowly, 
rhythmically,  the  oars  plash.  Every  instant  the 
moon  gives  a  new  picture  of  Mont  St.  Michel.  At 
last  all  seems  like  a  dream,  and  as  the  boat  touches 
the  sand  when  we  come  back  it  is  not  easy  to  remem- 
ber the  truth  of  daylight  because  of  the  glamour  of 
this  moonlight  mystery  upon  such  a  place. 

It  may  be  that  the  real  truth  of  it  now  is  not  far 
from  dreamland,  quite  such  a  picture  as  could  only 
be  seen  beneath  the  moon's  rays,  for  Mont  St.  Michel 
is  no  part  of  the  life  of  to-day.  It  is  a  resurrection 
of  the  past.  It  is  the  ghost  of  meditevalism  walking 
abroad,  fully  to  be  seen  in  the  moonlight,  and  in  the 
moonlight  alone. 

The  spirit  of  times  long  past  forever  incarnate  in 
stone,  lives  upon  this  rock  to  tell  of  heroes  and  of 
saints. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

CARCASSONNE 

There  cannot  be  many  places  in  tlie  world  that 
produce  so  profound  an  effect  upon  the  mind,  the 
imagination,  and  the  sense  of  beauty  as  the  old 
walled  town  of  Carcassonne  in  ancient  Lanofuedoc. 

Toledo,  in  Spain,  is  a  walled  town  too,  and  one  of 
the  most  interesting  in  Europe,  but  it  is  far  inferior 
in  charm  to  this  French  stronghold  of  days  long 
past.  How  long  past  are  the  days  when  Carcassonne 
was  founded,  or  even  the  time  when  it  had  a  rec- 
ognized existence  as  a  city  of  some  importance,  no 
man  can  tell.  Its  early  history  is  mostly  lost. 
Enough  remains,  however,  to  show  that  it  existed 
long  before  the  Christian  era. 

As  M.  Viollet-le-Duc  says,  it  was  in  the  year 
636  of  the  calendar  of  Rome  that  the  Roman  senate, 
on  the  advice  of  Lucius  Crassus,  decided  to  estab- 
lish a  colony  in  this  part  of  France,  and  Carcas- 
sonne was  chosen  as  one  of  the  chief  points  for 
its  defence,  because  it  commanded  one  of  the  prin- 
cipal roads  that  led  into  Spain. 

61 


62  CARCASSONNE 

It  was  in  the  year  70  B.C.  that  Carcassonne 
was  phiced  among  the  "  chosen  noble  cities."  It 
was  then  made  a  citadel,  a  "  castellum,"  by  the 
Romans.  From  this  time  until  the  fourth  cen- 
tury after  Christ  little  is  known  of  its  history. 
Apparently  it  was  a  stronghold  strong  enough  to 
preserve  peace  in  its  neighborhood  during  those 
centuries,  and  doubtless  the  humble  folk  who  lived 
about  it  flourished  exceedingly,  tended  their  vines 
and  their  fields  of  grain,  raised  their  cattle  and 
horses,  and  knew  little  and  cared  less  about  the 
convulsions  that  were  then  rending  the  Roman 
world  to  pieces. 

But  their  peace  did  not  endure  long,  for  in  the 
year  350  the  Franks  took  the  city,  but  they  were 
afterward  displaced  by  the  Romans.  Nearly  a  cen-  , 
tury  later  Theodoric,  the  king  of  the  Visigoths,  took 
it  in  his  turn  from  the  Romans,  and  by  the  treaty 
made  in  the  year  439  Carcassonne  remained  in  the 
possession  of  Theodoric. 

From  this  time  on  the  peaceful  days  of  the  place 
were  ended.  The  Visigoths  made  it  a  most  impor- 
tant fortress.  Clovis  laid  siege  to  it  in  the  year 
508,  but  he  was  unable  to  take  it.  The  king  of 
the  Visigoths  still  held  it. 

Then  came  the  Moors,  who  did  take  it,  and 
remained  masters  of  it  for  a  long  time.     They  have 


CARCASSONNE  63 

left  one  magnificent  square  tower  as  their  contri- 
bution to  its  defences.  Afterward  came  Louis  IX. 
and  Philip  the  Bold,  Pope  Urban  II.,  and  many 
another  who  had  to  do  with  the  history  of  this 
place. 

The  historical  associations  of  Carcassonne  are  so 
numerous,  —  they  have  to  do  with  so  many  differ- 
ent peoples,  —  that  the  first  impression  about  its 
history  is  confused,  because  it  is  hard  to  tell  where 
the  chief  emphasis  should  be  placed  among  all  the 
scenes  of  its  long  story. 

Perhaps  the  siege  and  capture  of  it  by  Simon 
de  Montfort,  Earl  of  Leicester,  the  cruel  persecutor 
of  the  Albigenses,  is  one  of  the  most  notable  events 
in  its  history,  although  the  siege  of  the  place  in 
1240  by  Raymond  de  Trincavel,  the  last  of  the 
Vicomtes  de  B^zier,  was  hardly  less  remarkable. 
He  came  very  near  to  capturing  the  city,  but  failed 
on  account  of  reinforcements  sent  by  the  king  of 
France. 

But  it  is  perhaps  better,  certainly  it  is  pleasanter, 
not  to  study  out  the  ancient  history  of  Carcassonne, 
but  to  live  in  its  atmosphere  for  a  day.  Here 
one  forgets  that  this  is  the  nineteenth  century. 
There  is  nothing  that  seems  to  have  anything  to 
do  with  modern  ways  of  living. 

After    climbing    the    steep    ascent   to   the   Porte 


64  CARCASSONNE 

Narbonnaise,  one  sees  the  lofty,  crenellated  walls, 
the  massive  towers  pierced  with  many  a  loophole 
for  the  archers.  Is  it  possible  that  entrance  will  be 
given  over  this  narrow  bridge  that  spans  the  moat 
and  is  flanked  by  towers  of  most  portentous 
strength  ? 

At  once,  almost  instinctively,  comes  a  feeling 
that  some  shelter  must  be  found  for  protection 
against  the  flights  of  arrows,  the  rain  of  stones 
and  of  boiling  oil  that  guard  this  tremendous  gate. 
It  is  another  world.  If  it  is  a  dream,  it  is  so  real 
that  its  impression  is  more  powerful  than  that  of 
actual  life.  If  it  is  not  a  dream,  it  seems  as  if  it 
must  be,  because  it  is  so  unlike  anything  that  wak- 
ing eyes  are  accustomed  to  look  upon. 

This  walled  town  of  Carcassonne  is  built  upon 
a  hill-top,  and  its  fortifications  follow  the  lines  of 
the  precipices  and  sloping  banks  that  form  the  hill. 
It  is  like  one  of  Dora's  drawings.  With  black 
clouds  behind  its  towers  and  knights  in  armor  rid- 
ing toward  its  gates,  it  would  seem  almost  exactly 
like  one  of  the  illustrations  of  the  "Idylls  of  the 
King." 

This  sternly  frowning  fortress,  grim  and  strong 
though  it  is,  looks  forth  in  every  direction  upon  one 
of  the  loveliest  landscapes  in  France. 

The  Aude  flows  by  the  foot  of  the  hill,  spanned 


CARCASSONNE  65 

just  below  the  castle  by  an  ancient  and  most  pic- 
turesque bridge  with  nine  massive  Romanesque 
arches.  All  around  in  the  plain  and  on  the  hill- 
sides are  vineyards  and  olive  orchards.  Far  away 
on  the  one  hand  are  the  Black  Mountains,  and 
still  farther  away  on  the  other  are  the  snow-clad 
Pyrenees. 

But  exquisite  as  the  landscape  is,  it  is  better  not 
to  linger  long  in  looking  upon  it.  There  are  beauti- 
ful views  elsewhere,  but  there  is  only  one  Carcassonne. 

This  place  is  not  only  a  fortress,  but  a  city.  It 
is  easy  to  forget  this  in  looking  at  the  walls  from 
the  outside,  because  they  seem  like  one  gigantic 
fort  intended  to  dominate  all  the  land  it  overlooks. 
Within,  however,  there  is  to-day  a  city.  In  days 
gone  by  there  were  faubourgs  outside  the  walls, 
and  protected  by  them,  which  extended  for  a  con- 
siderable distance  all  about  the  fortifications.  These 
were,  however,  destroyed  by  several  princes.  Louis 
IX.  destroyed  part  of  them,  because  the  inhabitants 
had  helped  Raymond  de  Trincavel  in  his  siege  of 
the  place.  The  Black  Prince  burned  up  all  he 
could  of  them  because  he  could  not  take  Carcassonne 
itself.  The  fact  is  that  he  did  not  attempt  to  take 
it.  Not  even  this  hero  dared  attack  Carcassonne, 
which  was  thought  to  be  and  probably  was  impreg- 
nable by  mediaeval  methods  of  warfare. 


66  CARCASSONNE 

It  is  worth  remembering  that  the  fortress  of  Car- 
cassonne successfully  resisted  the  ablest  English  sol- 
dier of  his  time,  the  conqueror  of  France. 

Though  the  faubourgs  were  destroyed,  the  city 
within  was  not,  and  it  still  remains  very  much  as 
it  used  to  be.  Its  streets  are  so  narrow  that  there 
is  barely  room  for  a  carriage  to  go  through  them. 
In  many  of  them  there  is  not  room,  and  therefore 
carriages  are  very  little  used  in  "la  vieille  cite,"  as 
it  is  called.  In  the  old  time  they  went  on  horseback 
or  on  foot. 

In  this  ancient  place  are  some  of  the  most  remark- 
able buildings  in  all  France.  By  far  the  most  re- 
markable is  the  cathedral,  which  is  simply  a  gem  of 
architecture.  There  are  few  churches  that  resemble 
it  at  all,  because  of  its  peculiar  and  wonderfully 
harmonious  combination  of  widely  different  kinds 
of  building.  The  nave  is  ancient  Romanesque 
with  columns  alternately  round  and  square  —  a  rare 
combination  indeed.  The  square  columns  have  four 
semi-detached  round  columns,  one  on  each  side,  which 
support  the  vaulting  of  the  roof.  The  transepts 
and  apse  are  Gothic  of  the  most  perfect  style  of  the 
fourteenth  century.  The  capitals  of  the  columns 
are  most  exquisitely  carved,  and  the  many  statues 
which  adorn  these  columns,  about  midway  in  their 
height,  are  cut  from  the  solid  stone  and  not  attached 


CARCASSONNE  67 

as  is  usually  the  case.  They  are  wonderful  works  of 
art,  full  of  the  dignity  and  the  intense  devotional  spirit 
so  truly  characteristic  of  the  Gothic  work  of  that  time. 

Then  there  is  the  glory  of  the  stained  glass, 
macrnificent  in  color  and  desiofn.  The  two  rose 
windows  are  hardly  to  be  surpassed  anj'- where, 
and  the  lofty  windows  about  the  apse  and  in  the 
side  chapels  are  also  very  beautiful.  That  familiar 
subject,  "  The  Tree  of  Jesse,"  occupies  one  of  these 
windows,  but  the  treatment  of  it  has  none  of  that 
comical  element  which  was  so  irresistible  in  the 
church  at  Beauvais.  On  the  contrary,  it  is  exqui- 
sitely beautiful.  The  abundant  foliage  of  the  tree 
is  interwoven  with  the  whole  design,  and  the  figures 
of  the  kings  and  prophets  seem  to  be  embowered 
amonsf  the  OTeen  leaves.  There  is  another  window 
equally  beautiful,  of  which  the  central  pane  of  the 
desiorn  is  the  Crucifixion.  But  not  even  with  such 
a  subject  does  the  artist  permit  his  figures  to  inter- 
fere at  all  with  his  thought  of  color. 

The  church,  fascinating  as  it  is,  is  not  the 
most  remarkable  part  of  Carcassonne  —  neither  is 
the  chateau,  which  is  also  within  the  walls.  One 
cannot  lincrer  to  look  at  the  ruins  of  the  cloisters 
and  the  bishop's  palace  that  once  were  here,  because 
the  tour  of  the  ramparts  is  by  far  the  most  inter- 
esting sight  in  this  place  of  marvels. 


68  CAECASSONNE 

To  go  around  the  ramparts  of  Carcassonne  is  not 
an  easy  thing  to  do.  It  means  a  walk  of  at  least 
a  mile,  beside  going  up  and  down  steep  flights  of 
stairs  almost  every  other  minute.  There  is  also 
some  of  the  excitement  which  comes  from  actual 
danger,  for  if  the  mistral  is  blowing  as  it  was  on 
the  day  when  I  went  round  the  ramparts,  it  is 
not  so  easy  to  keep  your  footing  on  the  narrow 
"courtines"  that  are  just  behind  the  crenellated 
wall.  There  is  no  railing,  no  protection  at  all, 
and  if  one  should  make  a  misstep  the  consequences 
would  be  serious  enough. 

But  even  if  there  is  a  little  danger  about  it  when 
the  mistral  is  at  its  full  force,  no  one  would  wish  to 
miss  the  tour  of  the  ramparts  of  Carcassonne,  because 
here,  as  perhaps  nowhere  else  in  the  world,  can  me- 
diaeval warfare,  and  mediseval  life  also,  be  studied 
and  understood. 

There  are  at  Carcassonne  two  distinct  lines  of 
defence — the  outer  "enceinte,"  as  it  is  called,  and 
the  inner.  Beyond  the  outer  one  was  the  moat,  also 
a  most  important  part  of  the  defences  of  the  fortress. 
These  two  walls,  which  surround  the  town  at  differ- 
ent heights,  —  the  outer  one  being  very  much  lower 
than  the  inner,  —  are  surmounted  by  fifty-four  towers 
of  the  most  solid  masonry,  so  disposed  as  to  protect 
one  another  in  the  most  perfect  way  known  to  the 


CARCASSONNE  69 

military  science  of  those  days.  It  is  an  object- 
lesson,  and  many  who  pride  themselves  on  their 
knowledge  of  history  could  learn  from  this  place 
in  much  the  same  way  as  a  child  learns  in  a  kin- 
dergarten. It  is  one  thing  to  read  about  sieges  in 
mediaeval  times.  It  is  quite  another  almost  to  see 
one  carried  on  before  your  very  eyes. 

At  one  point  on  the  ramparts  near  the  chateau, 
which  is  within  the  walls,  can  be  seen  another  de- 
fence, the  barbican,  which  is  far  down  in  the  valley 
below,  and  connected  with  the  walls  by  a  fortified 
passage,  which  abruptly  climbs  the  steep  hill.  The 
barbican  itself,  which  was  a  very  strong  round  tower, 
has  disappeared,  and  a  church  lias  taken  its  j^lace, 
but  the  whole  disposition  of  it  and  its  means  of 
access  to  the  fortress  above  can  easily  be  discerned. 
It  was  in  itself  a  place  of  great  strength,  and  yet 
if  it  were  taken  hardly  anything  would  be  accom- 
plished toward  the  subjugation  of  Carcassonne. 

There  was  another  barbican  on  the  other  side  to 
defend  the  gate  over  there  —  but  it  is  not  possible 
to  describe  all  the  elaborate  defences  of  this  most 
extraordinary  fortress  without  writing  a  scientific 
treatise  upon  it,  as  did  the  famous  architect  who 
restored  these  walls  and  towers,  M.  Viollet-le-Duc. 

Those  who  wish  accurate  and  technical  informa- 
tion about  this  old  town  must  have  recourse  to  his 


70  CARCASSONNE 

brochure,  "  La  Cite  Carcassonne,"  for  they  will  find 
nowhere  else  such  valuable  information  upon  this 
fascinating  though  most  intricate  subject. 

But  even  those  who  have  not  studied  deeply  into 
these  matters  are  perforce  put  into  mediaeval  times 
in  making  the  tour  of  Carcassonne's  walls.  The 
towers  by  the  gates  have  still  the  grooves  in  which 
the  portcullises  were  worked  up  and  down.  By 
each  of  these  grooves  is  an  opening  about  a  foot 
and  a  half  wide  in  the  second  story  of  the 
tower  and  as  long  as  the  width  of  tlie  portcullis 
itself,  through  which  all  manner  of  projectiles  could 
be  discharged  upon  the  heads  of  the  unfortunate 
soldiers  attempting  to  assail  the  closed  portcullis 
below.  In  these  towers  by  the  gates  are  places  to 
store  the  great  round  stones  that  were  hurled  down, 
and  immense  fireplaces  where  the  oil  could  be 
heated  that  was  even  more  deadly  in  effect  than 
the  huge  stones  when  it  was  poured  boiling  hot 
from  this  height  on  the  attacking  force. 

There  is  one  tower  on  the  walls  of  Carcassonne 
whose  heating  arrangements  had  a  very  different 
purpose  from  that  of  boiling  oil.  This  is  the  tower 
of  the  Inquisition  —  an  enormous  tower.  In  its 
upper  story  still  exists  the  immense  fireplace  where 
the  irons  of  torture  were  heated.  Here  the  judges 
sat  and  interrogated  those  to  whom  the  hot  irons 


CARCASSONNE  71 

were  applied.  If  they  remained  obdurate,  there  were 
several  stories  below  where  other  means  could  be 
used  to  induce  them  to  embrace  the  gentle  faith  of 
the  inquisitor.  Lowest  of  all  there  is  a  story  which 
can  now  be  reached  only  by  a  ladder  —  perhaps  it 
was  so  then  —  and  here  is  a  post  to  which  are 
attached  chains.  When  this  was  discovered  not 
very  many  years  ago,  human  bones  were  found 
among  the  many  links  of  these  long  chains  which 
held  the  victim  till  he  died.  This  tower  is  too  ter- 
rible to  linger  in.  It  makes  one  shudder  even  to 
look  at  it,  especially  because  it  is  not  fully  restored 
within,  and  its  immense  depth  yawns  far  below  like 
some  terrible  abyss  into  which  human  souls  might  be 
plunged.  It  is  like  a  passage  from  Dante's  "  In- 
ferno." 

But  there  are  other  towers  whose  uses  were  not  so 
horrible.  There  is  the  Tour  du  Moulin  —  a  most 
majestic  structure.  In  this  the  bread  was  prepared 
for  the  garrison.  It  had  a  windmill  once  that  rose 
from  its  roof — hence  its  name  —  but  this  has  disap- 
peared. Enough  remains,  however,  to  show  how  the 
food  was  prepared,  and  in  what  curious,  half-open 
ovens  the  bread  was  baked. 

Water  was,  of  course,  essential  in  a  beleaguered 
town,  and  there  were  several  deep  wells  at  Car- 
cassonne, one  so  deep  that  it  is  said  the  bottom  has 


72  CARCASSONNE 

not  been  found;  another  quite  deep  enough  is  now 
partially  filled  up. 

Then  there  was  the  Tower  of  Justice.  Did  they 
have  justice  in  those  days  ?  The  walls  of  this  tower 
were  formerly  hung  with  tapestry,  and  the  iron 
hooks  still  remain  from  which  the  tapestries  de- 
pended. There  is  the  private  entrance  for  the 
judges,  which  must  have  been  behind  the  tapestries, 
and  a  public  entrance  for  every  one  else,  that  opens 
upon  the  ramparts.  If  the  records  of  this  court  in 
the  tower  had  been  kept,  what  secrets  they  might 
have  disclosed  !     But  they  are  lost. 

And  then  there  is  the  Bishop's  tower.  He  needed 
apparently  to  be  fortified  more  than  anybody  else, 
for  his  towxr  is  "on  horseback"  over  the  outer  and 
inner  lines  of  fortification,  the  only  one  that  has  so 
commanding  a  position.  Clearly  he  did  not  put  all  his 
faith  in  the  power  of  the  spiritual  arm,  but  required 
a  most  advantageous  position  for  his  men-at-arms. 
This  tower  would  enable  him  to  isolate  his  own  pre- 
cinct from  all  the  rest  of  the  fortress,  and  make  it  a 
fort  within  a  fort  which  would  have  to  be  separately 
attacked  after  all  the  rest  had  been  taken.  But  he 
must  not  be  blamed  for  this,  because  the  lords  of  the 
chateau  did  the  same  thing.  All  else  in  Carcassonne 
might  be  taken  and  their  castle  still  remain  an  almost 
unassailable  stronsfhold. 


CAECASSONNE  73 

Truly  it  is  a  marvellous  place.  The  imagination 
is  tempted  to  run  riot  here,  because  what  is  actually- 
seen  hardly  seems  real,  for  the  reason  that  it  is  so 
unaccustomed  to  our  thought;  and  what  is  told 
hardly  seems  real  either,  because  we  understand  so 
little  about  the  gentle  and  gracious  customs  and 
habits  of  Simon  de  Montfort  or  inquisitors  like  those 
of  the  grewsome  tower. 

Without  some  touch  of  enthusiasm,  some  play  of 
fancy,  it  is  not  possible  to  get  into  the  spirit  of  Car- 
cassonne. It  has  been  described  analytically  by 
Henry  James.  It  has  been  described  scientifically  by 
M.  Viollet-le-Duc.  The  latter  has  done  more  than 
describe  it.  He  has  rebuilt  it  and  made  it  possible 
to  repeople  it  in  thought.  This  he  did  not  attempt 
to  do,  but  many  a  writer,  many  a  poet,  will  find  in 
his  work  the  scene  for  story,  drama,  or  poem  that  has 
to  do  with  days  long  past. 

The  spirit  of  the  place  can  hardly  be  better  illus- 
trated to-day  than  by  telling  of  the  effect  prod  need 
by  seeing  a  regiment  of  French  dragoons  pass  along 
beneath  the  walls.  In  this  magnificent  armj^  of  the 
French  is  power  enough  to  destroy  every  wall  and 
tower  of  Carcassonne  in  one  day,  and  yet  these  dra- 
goons seem  out  of  place.  The  ancient  walls,  the 
tremendous  towers,  look  sternly  upon  them.  They 
fear  them  not  because  they  do  not  know  them. 


74  CARCASSONNE 

In  the  days  of  their  pride,  knights  came  up  these 
steep  ascents,  clad  in  bright  armor,  with  waving 
plumes  upon  their  helmets.  Their  squires  and  all 
their  retinue  followed,  and  lances  were  carried  high 
and  pennants  fluttered  in  the  breeze. 

There  were  heralds  to  bespeak  the  warders  of  the 
towers,  and  all  was  stately  and  impressive.  If  battle 
came  it  was  a  contest  of  man  to  man,  of  wall  and 
tower  against  mine  and  ram  and  beleaguering 
trenches.  If  the  drawbridge  was  let  down  and  the 
double  portcullises  raised  that  the  knights  and  their 
following  might  enter,  then  afterward  came  the  tour- 
nament in  the  lists  between  the  outer  and  the  inner 
"enceinte,"  and  the  reward  of  martial  prowess  and 
of  ladies'  favors  was  to  be  won. 

To  one  who  has  yielded  to  the  dream  of  Carcas- 
sonne, the  23resence  of  the  dragoons  seems  like  an 
impertinence,  and  yet,  sad  as  the  waking  from  that 
dream  is,  the  thought  that  these  once  impregnable 
walls  and  towers  are  but  as  card  houses  before  the 
power  of  the  armies  of  to-day  is  even  more  sad  because 
it  means  the  weakness  of  what  once  was  strong. 


CHAPTER   IX 

AIGUES-MORTES 

Teavelling  in  the  south  of  France  is  not  always 
a  pleasant  thing,  especially  in  the  month  of  March 
when  the  mistral  is  at  its  worst.  Perhaps  it  is  be- 
cause of  the  discomforts  that  must  be  endured  here 
that  so  little  seems  to  be  known  among  us  about 
places  that  are  not  only  most  interesting  in  them- 
selves, but  simply  brimming  over  with  so  many  sug- 
gestions about  times  past  that  it  is  difficult  to  tell 
which  to  choose  and  lay  special  emphasis  upon,  where 
all  is  so  full  of  interest  to  any  one  who  cares  to  study 
French  history. 

Aigues-Mortes  is  about  an  hour  and  a  half  by  rail 
from  Nimes ;  but  this  does  not  mean  by  an  express 
train.  On  the  contrary,  there  are  stops  every  five 
minutes,  and  really  the  laziness  of  the  people  seems 
to  have  penetrated  the  locomotive.  The  country  is 
flat  and  uninteresting,  and  as  one  nears  Aigues-Mortes 
it  becomes  worse  than  uninteresting.  Here  it  is  des- 
olate and  repellant.     Immense  salt  marshes  stretch 

75 


76  AIGUES-MORTES 

far  away  on  either  hand,  and  there  are  stagnant 
waters,  most  unpleasantly  suggestive  of  malaria. 

Nevertheless,  the  natives  seem  to  think  that  one 
ought  to  have  a  good  appetite,  for  when  I  asked  for 
some  sandwiches  for  luncheon  they  gave  me  a  very 
remarkable  combination  of  bread  and  ham:  it  must 
have  been  at  least  three  inches  thick.  A  giant's 
mouth  could  scarcely  compass  it,  and  even  the  giant 
with  a  digestion  proportionate  to  his  size  would  be 
sorry  if  he  had  succeeded  in  the  attempt,  because  of 
the  heaviness  of  the  bread  and  the  toughness  of  the 
ham.  Nevertheless,  it  was  that  or  nothing,  and,  di- 
viding our  sandwiches  into  various  parts,  we  did  as 
well  as  we  could. 

I  was  glad  afterward  that  we  struggled  with  the 
sandwiches,  for  eating  or  drinking  at  Aigues-Mortes 
is  not  so  agreeable  as  it  might  be.  The  town  is  so 
dirty  that  one  hesitates  before  touching  anything  in 
it.  It  is  full  of  malaria.  The  stagnant  waters  are 
the  cause  of  this.  The  people  are  so  yellow  that  it 
seems  as  if  they  were  all  afflicted  with  jaundice. 

Fortunately,  it  is  not  necessary  to  stay  here  over 
niofht.  One  can  leave  Nimes  in  the  mornino'  and 
return  in  time  for  dinner,  after  seeing  all  that  is 
really  of  great  interest  in  the  place.  What  is  to  be 
seen,  however,  is  of  such  importance  that  all  discom- 
forts are  soon  forsfotten. 


«SSE>. 


ATGUES-MORTES  77 

The  historical  interest  centres  about  Louis  IX., — 
St.  Louis,  —  though  later  there  is  much  in  the  history 
of  the  place  that  is  well  worth  knowing.  It  was 
from  here  that  Louis  IX.  embarked  twice.  In  1248 
he  went  hence  with  a  great  army  and  eight  hundred 
galleys  to  Egypt.  He  took  his  queen.  Marguerite, 
with  him.  In  that  expedition  he  was  successful ;  but 
in  1270  he  embarked  again  from  Aigues-Mortes  to 
attack  the  infidels  at  Tunis.  This  was  fatal  to  him. 
In  less  than  a  month  after  he  started  he  was  dead. 

It  is  hard  to  see  how  Louis  IX.  could  have  got 
his  army  to  the  sea  from  this  place,  because  it  is  no 
port  at  all,  but  simply  surrounded  by  marshes.  There 
is  a  story  that  he  made  a  canal  which  gave  entrance 
to  a  bay  quite  a  distance  away.  The  canal  does  not 
exist  now,  but  possibly  it  once  was  there.  At  all 
events,  it  is  certain  that  the  king  did  embark  here, 
and  the  Porte  de  la  Marine  is  shown  as  the  place 
where  his  soldiers  entered  the  ships. 

Coming  to  quite  a  different  period  of  histoiy,  it 
is  also  certain  that  Francis  I.  of  France,  and 
Charles  V.  of  Spain  met  here.  The  house  where 
they  met  is  still  pointed  out  as  one  of  the  prin- 
cipal sights  of  the  place.  It  is  not  far  from 
Louis  IX.'s  Porte  de  la  Marine,  and  is  on  the 
"  Boulevard  Fran9ois  Premier."  Observe  the  pride 
of  the    French.      Here    is    a   boulevard   in   a   town 


T8  AIGUES-MORTES 

which  is  not  big  enough  to  have  a  street,  and 
really   has  not   any  worthy   of   the   name. 

But  all  this  is  merely  a  preface  to  Aigues-Mortes. 
The  interest  of  the  place  to-day  comes  from  what  it 
is,  and  the  wonder  of  it  comes  from  the  fact  that 
it  still  is  what  it  was.  After  Carcassonne  it  would 
hardly  seem  possible  that  another  walled  town 
would  be  interesting,  and  yet  it  is  true  that  Aigues- 
Mortes  is  even  more  interesting  than  Carcassonne  in 
some  ways,  for  the  simple  reason  that  it  is  more 
perfectly  preserved.  There  is  much  restoration  at 
Carcassonne  —  there  is  hardly  any  at  Aigues-Mortes. 
This  walled  town  of  Louis  IX.  and  Philip  the  Bold 
remains  almost  exactly  as  they  left  it.  The  force  of 
the  mistral  has  had  some  influence  upon  it ;  for  there 
are  many  places  where  this  terrible  wind  seems  to 
have  literally  dug  into  the  stones,  but  it  could  not 
penetrate  far  enough  to  materially  impair  their 
solidity   and   strength. 

The  sieges  it  underwent  seem  to  have  had  little 
effect  upon  it,  although  the  face  of  one  tower  is 
full  of  small  holes  made  by  the  projectiles  of  the 
Burgundians,  who  had  taken  the  town  by  storming 
a  gate,  but  were  utterly  foiled  in  their  efforts  to 
take  the  ramparts  and  towers.  These  little  holes 
on  the  face  of  the  massive  stones  show  how  ludi- 
crously  impotent   the    force    of   attacking    weapons 


AIGUES-MORTES  79 

was  in  those  days  against  such  walls  as  these. 
They  had  little  more  effect  than  a  child's  pop- 
gun. 

Aigues-Mortes  to-day  is,  as  it  used  to  be,  a 
mediseval  city  surrounded  by  lofty  walls  with  cre- 
nellated ramparts,  from  which  rise  fifteen  massive 
towers,  and  tln-ough  which  penetrate  nine  strongly 
fortified  gates.  There  is  not  here,  as  at  Carcassonne, 
a  double  line  of  ramparts,  nor  has  the  place  the 
advantage  of  a  high  hill  to  assist  in  its  defence.  It 
had,  however,  once  an  immense  moat,  which  ^-the 
surrounding  waters  made  it  easy  to  keep  full ;  but 
this  has  entirely  disappeared,  because  the  stagnant 
water  in  it  so  aggravated  the  malaria  of  the  place, 
already  bad  enough,  that  it  became  necessary  to 
fill  it  up. 

Of  all  the  towers  on  these  old  walls  the  most 
interesting  is  the  Tour  de  Constance.  This  is  one 
of  the  most  immense  and  impressive  of  all  the 
mediaeval  towers  of  Europe.  It  is  far  larger  than 
any  tower  at  Carcassonne.  Its  walls  are  at  least 
fifteen  feet  thick,  and  its  diameter  inside  these 
walls  is  sixty-five  feet.  The  height  is  ninety  feet, 
and  above  the  flat  space  of  its  roof  rises  a  small 
tower,  used  formerly  as  a  lighthouse.  This  small 
tower  is  thirty-four  feet  in  height,  making  the 
total    height    one    hundred    and    twenty-four    feet. 


80  AIGUES-MORTES 

St.  Louis  made  this  upper  tower  and  he  used  it 
as  a  beacon.  There  is  an  iron  cap  on  its  summit 
in  which  bonfires  could  be  made  to  serve  as 
signals.  The  iron  of  which  this  cap  is  made  was 
taken  by  St.  Louis  from  a  tower  built  by  Charle- 
magne on  another  part  of  the  walls.  It  is,  there- 
fore, more  than  one  thousand  years  old  and  remains 
quite  as  good  as  ever  it  was. 

From  the  top  of  this  beacon  tower  the  whole 
of  Aigues-Mortes  can  easily  be  studied.  It  lies  at 
your  feet.  Every  tower,  every  gate,  the  whole 
round  of  the  ramparts,  the  low  houses  with  their 
tiled  roofs,  the  churches,  the  narrow  streets  —  all 
is  spread  out  before  you  as  if  it  were  drawn  upon 
a  map.  It  is  a  fascinating  sight.  It  is  not  only 
what  you  see,  but  what  you  think.  This  is  not 
the  home  of  the  few  poor,  squalid  people  that 
appear  at  rare  intervals  on  the  streets.  It  is  the 
home  of  those  who  have  long  passed  away  but  to 
the  mind  seem  still  to  be  here. 

It  is  hard  to  say  which  is  the  more  interesting,  — 
the  view  from  the  top  of  this  tower,  or  what  is  to  be 
seen  within  it.  There  are  four  stories,  the  lower  one 
being  a  place  of  storage  for  provisions,  to  which  ac 
cess  was  had  by  openings  in  the  floor  of  each  of  the 
stories  above,  that  were  provided  with  ropes  and 
buckets  for  bringing  up  the  grain  from  below.    There 


AIGUES-MORTES  81 

was  also  a  deep  well  with  similar  appliances  for  pro- 
viding each  story  with  water.  The  architecture  is 
very  early  Gothic,  exceedingly  pure  and  fine  in  style, 
and  admirably  preserved.  The  first  and  second 
stories  seem  like  immense  chapels  of  some  vast 
Gothic  cathedral. 

Each  story  has  its  means  of  defence,  as  though  it 
were  intended  to  be  a  separate  fortress.  The  wind- 
ing stone  stairway,  that  leads  from  one  to  the  other, 
is  most  curiously  defended  at  every  point  by  angular 
projections  of  stone,  behind  which  the  soldiers  could 
be  sheltered  while  they  shot  at  those  attempting  to 
ascend  the  stairs. 

But  all  this  story  of  battle  and  bloodshed  does 
not  exhaust  the  interest  of  the  Tour  de  Constance. 
There  is  beside  all  this  a  most  pathetic  history  that 
must  be  told  about  it,  for  here  in  the  upper  one  of 
the  two  great  rooms  were  imprisoned  for  years  many 
who  refused  to  abjure  their  religion  after  the  revo- 
cation of  the  Edict  of  Nantes.  A  number  of  these 
poor  prisoners  were  women.  Some  have  written  their 
names  upon  the  merciless  stones,  using,  as  it  is  said, 
their  finger  nails  to  make  the  letters.  Sometimes 
they  used  their  knitting-needles.  INIany  and  many 
a  name  can  be  read  upon  these  walls — some  of  them 
of  the  noblest  families  of  France.  Here  in  this 
vaulted  room  with  its  impenetrable  walls,  these  poor 


82  AiGUES-MORTES 

creatures,  strong  only  in  their  love  of  the  right, 
lingered  year  after  year,  and  when  they  died,  as 
most  of  them  did,  their  bodies  were  probably  thrown 
into  the  salt  marshes,  and  they  were  forgotten. 

The  eloquence  of  these  speechless  stones  in  this 
mediaeval  fortress  of  France  is  marvellous.  It  is 
extraordinary  how  the  stones  do  tell  stories.  Though 
Jacques,  the  melancholy,  says  there  are  sermons  in 
them,  he  does  not  by  any  means  exhaust  the  subject. 
Some  stones  can  instruct  as  well  as  preach,  and  the 
stones  of  Aigues-Mortes  are  simply  professors  of 
histor3\ 

For  instance,  there  is  a  great  stone  in  this  upper 
room  where  these  poor  captives  lingered  that  has  its 
particular  story  to  tell.  It  is  like  a  millstone,  and 
to-day  it  is  lying  on  the  floor  of  the  room  Avhere  so 
many  life  histories  were  ended  so  far  as  this  world  is 
concerned.  What  was  it  intended  for?  It  was  used 
to  grind  the  grain  that  was  brought  up  in  the  buckets 
from  the  reservoir  three  stories  below.  Thus  were 
the  poor  prisoners  fed.  There  was  a  great  open  fire- 
place, and  there,  when  the  grain  was  ground,  they 
made  their  cakes  and  baked  them  before  the  fire  ; 
and  they  quenched  their  thirst  from  the  rain-water 
caught  on  the  platform  above,  and  falling  thence  to 
the  cistern,  whence  it  was  lifted  to  them  just  as  was 
the  unground  grain. 


AIGUES-MORTES  83 

The  picture  is  so  vivid,  so  intense  in  its  reality, 
that  it  truly  seems  most  strange  not  to  see  the  cap- 
tives themselves  here.  Why  should  all  their  sur- 
roundings remain  perfect  in  every  detail,  and  all  the 
human  life  be  gone  that  once  filled  the  place  ? 

There  is  still  another  side  to  the  picture  of  Aigues- 
Mortes.  Why  has  the  human  life  gone  out  of  the 
streets  as  well  as  the  tower?  There  was  a  time  when 
these  were  crowded  with  knights  in  armor,  and  on 
every  shield  was  a  cross.  There  were  crosses  on  the 
banners  —  there  were  crosses  everywhere,  and  in  the 
name  of  that  sacred  symbol  the  knights  went  hence 
on  the  last  of  the  crusades.  It  was  a  daring  —  a  most 
hazardous  deed.  They  must  brave  the  storms  of  the 
Mediterranean,  fearfully  severe  at  times,  and  they 
must  meet  the  Saracens,  an  enemy  by  no  means  to  be 
despised.  The  knights  are  gone,  and  few  now  walk 
the  streets  they  once  thronged. 

When  St.  Louis  directed  his  hosts  toward  the  ships 
that  were  to  take  them  through  the  canal  to  the  sea, 
I  hope  he  did  not  look  as  he  looks  to-day  in  the 
statue  of  him  made  by  Pradier.  This  is  in  the  princi- 
pal, in  fact,  the  only  square  of  Aigues-Mortes.  It  is 
of  bronze  and  is  heroic  in  size.  The  statue  is  quite 
unworthy  of  so  noble  a  subject.  It  would  be  easy  to 
ridicule  it,  but  this  is  not  well,  for  it  had  a  serious 
intention,  and  the  people  of   Aigues-Mortes  are  ex- 


84  AIGUES-MORTES 

tremely  proud  of  it.  There  are  many  photographs 
of  it  and  many,  too,  of  the  walls  and  towers,  but  the 
photograph  cannot  give  the  real  picture  of  Aigues- 
Mortes. 

History  must  paint  that  picture.  It  was  the  scene 
of  the  embarkation.  The  churches  were  full  of  those 
who  came  to  the  mass,  and  left  their  offerings  that 
prayers  might  be  said  for  their  souls  if  they  died. 
When  the  religious  rites  were  finished,  all  went  to 
the  great  Porte  de  la  Marine  and  men  and  horses 
were  put  upon  the  ships  to  start  upon  their  perilous, 
though  glorious,  voyage.  Each  face  is  lighted  by 
religious  and  martial  enthusiasm.  The  good  king 
turns  to  bless  his  land,  which  he  was  never  to  see 
aofain.  The  walls  of  Aiofues-Mortes  fade  in  the 
distance. 

When  St.  Louis  with  all  his  army  has  left  the 
place  because  inspired  by  faith  and  religious  fervor, 
it  would  be  well  for  us  to  leave  it  too.  It  is  better 
to  go  away  from  such  a  fortress  with  a  thought  of 
the  highest  that  was  in  the  spirit  of  it,  and  to  forget 
if  possible  what  was  cruel  and  barbarous. 


CHAPTER  X 

CUSTODIANS   OF   FRENCH   CHUECHES   AND   MONU- 
MENTS 

The  custodians  of  the  French  churches  and  monu- 
ments are  very  interesting  people.  I  have  often 
wished  I  could  have  had  more  time  to  talk  with  them, 
and  find  out  how  they  came  to  be  where  they  are, 
and  how  they  learned  what  they  know  about  their 
buildings. 

There  is  an  old  man  at  St.  Ouen  whose  face 
should  be  painted  by  some  tenderly  sympathetic 
artist.  There  is  an  expression  in  it  which  seems  to 
come  in  some  way  from  the  very  church  itself.  There 
is  the  same  placidity,  the  same  nobility  of  line,  and 
there  is  the  same  kind  of  love  that  those  who  made 
the  windows  must  have  felt.  This  custodian  is  not 
the  "  Swiss  "  to  whom  I  have  before  referred.  This 
one  is  too  old  to  mount  the  stairs  and  only  shows  to 
visitors  the  lower  part  of  the  church. 

Taking  visitors  about  St.  Ouen  is  not  a  task  to 
him.  Although  he  does  it  many  times  a  day,  he 
loves  it  more  each  time. 

85 


86  CUSTODIANS    OF   FRENCH    CHURCHES 

"  Now,  gentlemen  and  ladies,  will  you  be  kind 
enough  to  step  here  for  just  one  moment  ?  If  you 
love  Gothic  architecture,  I  think  I  can  show  ^'•ou 
the  most  beautiful  Gothic  view  in  the  world.  No 
—  not  there  —  a  little  farther  this  way,  if  you 
please.  I  want  you  to  see  the  columns  with  all 
their  lines  and  forms,  and  at  the  same  time  the 
stained  glass.  There!  That's  right!  There's  where 
Mr.  Ruskin  used  to  stand.  Did  you  ever  see  any- 
thing so  beautiful  as  that?  I  have  been  in  this 
church  for  more  than  thirty  years,  and  I  find  new 
beauties  in  it  every  day.  Have  you  seen  the  reflec- 
tion in  the  vessel  that  contains  the  holy  water? 
No  !  Well,  then,  you  must  see  it,  because  it  will  give 
you  a  better  idea  of  the  lines  of  the  church  than  any- 
thing else.  Have  you  been  above  to  go  about  the 
clerestory  under  the  arches  just  by  the  painted  win- 
dows? Oh!  you  must  certainly  go  there.  You 
cannot  understand  the  church  at  all  unless  you  see 
it  from  that  point,  and  it  is  necessary  to  know  all 
about  St.  Ouen,  because  if  you  do  not  you  will  miss 
one  of  the  very  loveliest  things  in  the  world.  I 
wish  I  could  go  up  with  you,  but  I  am  too  old. 
My  brother  here  will  do  that.  I  will  stay  here  and 
wait  to  hear  what  you  think.  I  love  to  wait  in  the 
church.  Please  tell  me  whether  you  think  it  is 
beautiful." 


AND   MONUMENTS  87 

And  so  the  old  man  waited  as  he  doubtless  waited 
every  day  for  other  visitors.  I  hope  that  many  give 
to  his  dearly  loved  church  that  enthusiastic  praise 
which  delights  him.  Praise  of  St.  Ouen  is  to  him 
like  food  and  drink.  He  lifts  up  his  head  when  he 
hears  it,  and  he  walks  proudly.  He  points  again  to 
the  columns  and  the  windows.  He  also  forgets  his 
fee,  —  at  least  he  does  not  ask  for  it.  When  it  is 
given  without  his  asking,  he  takes  it,  and  looks 
pleased,  but  immediately  begins  again  his  talk  about 
the  church.  He  hopes  you  will  stay  just  a  little 
longer.  "  There  is  one  beautiful  point  of  view  on 
the  otlier  side.     You  have  not  seen  that  yet." 

This  custodian  of  St.  Ouen  was  one  of  the  most 
benignant-looking  men  I  ever  saw,  and  in  his  lan- 
guage he  was  one  of  the  most  enthusiastic.  He 
surely  must  have  been  an  intelligent  Christian 
gentleman. 

There  was  a  custodian  at  Falaise  who  interested 
me  greatly.  He  did  not  seem  so  much  in  love 
with  his  subject  as  was  the  one  at  St.  Ouen,  or 
at  Aigues-Mortes.  However,  seeing  my  interest  in 
the  place,  he  began  to  warm  up  a  little  after  a 
while.  He  was  quite  an  old  man — between  sixty 
and  seventy,  I  should  think,  and  I  began  to  talk 
to  him  about  his  life,  because  I  thought  he  had  a 
peculiar   history.       He   looked   like   a   disappointed 


88  CUSTODIANS   OF   FRENCH   CHURCHES 

man.      There  was  something  almost  like  a  tragedy- 
written  on  his  face. 

"How  long  have  you  been  here?"    I  said. 

"  Oh !    not  very  long,"  was  the  reply. 

"  Well,  what  did  you  do  before  you  came  here  ?  " 

"Ah!    Monsieur,  I  was  at  Mont  St.  Michel." 

This  then  was  the  tragedy  —  here  was  the  dis- 
appointment of  a  lifetime,  to  be  no  longer  at 
Mont  St.  Michel. 

"Monsieur,  are  you  going  to  Mont  St.  Michel?" 

"Yes,  I  am  going  there." 

"You  will  find  everything  of  beauty  in  the 
universe  there.  There  is  no  other  place  like  that. 
Alas!  that  I  am  too  old  to  mount  its  stairs  and 
go  about  it  as  once  I  did." 

"But  Falaise  is  very  interesting.  It  is  one  of 
the  finest  Norman  castles  in  France." 

"Oh!  yes,  it  is  interesting  —  certainly  it  is  very 
fine — but  there  is  only  one  Mont  St.  Michel." 

The  custodian  of  Aigues-Mortes  was,  I  think, 
the  only  lively  person  I  saw  in  the  place.  The 
atmosphere  is  not  wholesome,  and  most  of  the 
people  (there  are  not  many)  look  sickly  and  have 
a  most  dejected  air.  It  seems  to  be  an  effort  for 
them  to  move  about  at  all. 

But  this  custodian  loved  the  walls  and  towers 
of  Aigues-Mortes  just  as  that  one  at  Carcassonne 
loved  his,  or  the  one  at  St.  Ouen  his  church. 


AND  MONUMENTS  89 

If  I  could  write  down  all  he  said,  I  would  have 
directly  a  book  too  bulky  for  publication.  It  was 
not  possible  to  stop  for  a  minute  the  flow  of  his 
—  not  conversation,  but  monologue.  Every  detail 
about  the  place,  especially  in  the  Tour  de  Con- 
stance, was  given  with  a  volubility  peculiarly 
French,  and  an  accuracy  of  knowledge  quite 
French  also.  There  was  not  a  king  or  queen 
who  had  ever  been  at  Aigues-Mortes  with  whom 
he  was  not  acquainted,  and  as  to  the  prisoners  in 
the  tower,  I  think  they  must  all  have  been  his 
personal  friends.  He  knew  how  and  where  they 
ate  and  drank  and  slept,  and  the  minutest  details 
of  their  way  of  living. 

I  had  often  wondered  whether  there  was  a  college 
somewhere  in  France  where  these  custodians  were 
educated,  and  whether  they  had  to  be  graduated 
and  receive  their  diplomas  before  they  could  get  a 
position  in  one  of  the  historical  monuments.  In 
talking  with  one  of  the  custodians  at  Fontainebleau, 
I  found  that  such  was  not  the  case.  The  custodians 
study  the  history  of  a  building  from  the  archives  kept 
in  it  or  in  the  library  of  the  town. 


CHAPTER  XI 

THE  TEMPLAR  CHURCH  OF  ST.  JEAN  DE  LUZ 

Far  up  among  the  Pyrenees  in  a  green  valley- 
walled  in  by  high  cliffs  and  towering  snow-clad 
mountains,  nestles  the  little  town  of  St.  Sauveur. 
The  magnificent  scenery  about  it  is  its  greatest 
charm,  but  often  this  cannot  be  seen  on  account  of 
the  low-hanging  rain-clouds.  There  are,  however, 
other  things  that  can  be  seen  here  even  if  it  does 
rain.  Of  these  the  most  interesting  is  the  Church 
of  the  Templars  at  Luz.  The  walk  from  St.  Sauveur 
to  Luz  is  not  a  long  one,  —  only  about  a  mile,  —  but 
it  is  so  very  lovely  that  one  wishes  it  were  a  great 
deal  longer. 

At  first  it  seems  strange  that  these  religious  war- 
riors who  had  risked  life  itself  in  the  effort  to  con- 
quer and  retain  Jerusalem,  and  had  succeeded  in 
their  attempt  even  to  the  point  of  holding  their  con- 
quest for  a  while,  should  have  built  this  little  church 
in  a  Pyrenean  valley.  The  reason,  however,  is  not 
hard  to  find.     When  they  could  no  longer  hold  the 

90 


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THE   TEMPLAR    CHURCH    OF   ST,   JEAN   DE   LUZ      91 

Holy  Land,  they  had  to  come  back  to  defend  their  own 
country  against  the  Saracens  who  had  now,  in  their 
turn,  become  invaders.  Luz  is  near  the  Spanish 
frontier,  and  commands  a  pass  leading  into  Spain. 
Therefore,  the  Templars  built  their  fortress-church 
here,  and,  for  the  same  reason,  long  afterwards  it  was 
used  as  a  defence  against  the  Spaniards. 

No  other  church  of  the  Knights  Templar  that  I 
have  ever  seen  is  so  well  preserved  as  this.  It  is 
thought  by  some  writers  to  be  almost  unique. 

Its  history  is  bewildering  because  it  was  used  for 
so  many  different  purposes  in  the  centuries  since 
it  was  founded,  but  its  architecture  is  no  less  bewil- 
dering. Here  are  combined  two  characteristic  quali- 
ties of  the  very  early  Romanesque,  —  the  military  use 
of  it,  and  the  way  it  was  used  in  churches. 

There  are  ramparts  about  this  church,  distant  from 
it  about  fort)^  feet.  In  one  part  of  the  space  between 
the  two  was  the  cemetery  where  the  Knights  Tem- 
plar were  buried,  and  their  bones  are  still  there.  I 
have  never  seen  so  many  human  bones  together  in 
any  other  place  unless  it  be  the  church  of  the  Capu- 
chins at  Rome.  It  is  hard  to  help  stumbling  over 
them  in  walking  about  between  the  church  and  the 

ramparts. 

"  Their  bones  are  dust, 
Their  good  swords,  rust. 
Their  souls  are  with  the  saiuts,  we  trust." 


92      THE   TEMPLAR   CHURCH   OF   ST.   JEAN   DE   LUZ 

To  an  architect  the  chief  interest  of  the  building 
would  be  in  its  principal  portal,  for  this  is  one  of  the 
most  remarkable  examples  I  have  ever  seen  of  the 
earliest  Romanesque.  It  dates  from  the  tenth  cen- 
tury, I  think,  at  least  a  part  of  it  does.  Some  of  the 
wall  of  the  church  near  by  it  has  been  restored.  It 
somewhat  resembles  the  portal  of  Morlaas  church, 
but  has  not  the  very  curious  figures  that  make  that 
so  interesting.  There  are  six  concentric  arches, 
recessed  one  behind  the  other,  giving  a  very  massive 
and  imposing  character  to  the  entrance,  although  it 
is  not  really  very  large.  A  bas-relief  of  Christ  and 
the  four  evangelists  directly  over  the  low  door,  and 
under  the  lowest  arch,  is  a  most  curious  specimen  of 
that  rude  sculpture  which  the  earliest  Romanesque 
builders  were  fond  of  using  wherever  they  could  find 
a  place  to  put  it  in.  All  the  decorations  of  the 
arches  are  most  unusual.  In  one  the  pattern  is  an 
arabesque  distinctly  Moorish  in  character.  Per- 
haps the  Templars  found  this  in  their  adventur- 
ous journeys  to  the  far  east,  or  they  may  have  bor- 
rowed it  from  Spain.  The  capitals  of  the  columns 
that  support  each  arch  are  also  curious.  The}^  differ 
in  their  carved  ornamentation.  All  are  somewhat  crude 
in  execution,  but  whatever  their  faults  may  be  they 
have  a  certain  dignity  and  expressiveness  quite  worthy 
of  their  position  at  the  entrance  of  the  sacred  building 


THE  TEMPLAR   CHURCH   OF   ST.   JEAN  DE  LUZ      93 

This  interesting  portal  is  very  different  from  that 
by  which  the  poor  "  Cagots  "  were  allowed  to  enter 
to  reach  a  separate  chapel  reserved  for  their  use. 
That  was  a  low  door  in  the  ramparts  through  which 
they  must  have  crawled  on  hands  and  knees  and  be- 
yond it  a  very  small  door  by  which  they  could  reach 
their  chapel.  It  would  be  interesting  to  trace  the 
history  of  these  "  Cagots."  There  are  many  tra- 
ditions about  them.  Some  say  they  embraced  the 
Arian  heresy ;  others  that  they  were  a  separate 
race  of  people  descended  perhaps  from  the  Moors, 
perhaps  from  the  lost  tribes  of  Israel.  Certain  it  is 
that  they  were  treated  very  much  as  lepers  are.  No 
one  would  have  anything  to  do  with  them,  and  their 
very  name  expresses  contempt  and  abhorrence. 

It  was  an  act  of  unusual  tolerance  in  those  days  to 
allow  these  proscribed  people  to  worship  so  near  the 
faithful,  but  it  does  seem  strange  that  those  who 
wished  to  worship  the  same  God  in  a  Christian  church 
should  be  separated  by  such  impassable  barriers  from 
the  other  worshippers. 

In  the  principal  church  there  is  another  kind  of 
separation  in  the  worship ;  that  is,  the  men  have  their 
place  in  the  upper  part  of  the  building  and  the  women 
below.  The  larger  part  of  the  nave  has  two  stories, 
both  open  toward  the  altar.  The  women  worshipped 
on  the  stone  floor  of  the  church  below;  the  men  in  the 


94      THE  TEMPLAR   CHURCH   OF   ST.   JEAN  DE  LUZ 

wooden  gallery  attached  to  the  great  columns  that 
support  the  roof  at  a  point  about  midway  in  the  height 
of  the  nave  itself.  It  was  a  most  effectual  separation 
truly ;  for  neither  could  see  the  other,  and  to  hear 
a  word  whispered  or  even  spoken  would  be  difficult, 
perhaps  impossible.  It  is  a  wonder  that  neither  the 
Puritans  nor  the  Quakers  ever  thought  of  such  an 
arrangement.  Perhaps  it  may  be  because  the  history 
of  the  Templars  shows  that  not  even  such  strict 
regulations  as  these  were  always  successful  in  attain- 
ing their  object. 

It  would  not  be  possible  to  describe  all  the  curious 
things  in  this  most  remarkable  church,  —  it  would 
need  a  book  to  do  that;  but  the  museum  must  not 
be  omitted.  It  is  a  very  small  room  indeed,  reached 
by  a  narrow  flight  of  steps,  and  was  probably  con- 
nected at  one  time  with  the  church.  Possibly  it  may 
have  been  the  abode  of  the  Prior-Commander  of  the 
Templar  Knights.  Small  as  it  is,  it  contains  more 
relics  of  the  Templars  than  any  other  place  I  ever 
saw.  There  are  bits  for  their  war-horses  of  such  size 
and  cruel  form  that  it  is  no  wonder  these  famous 
horsemen  could  control  their  steeds  as  they  pleased. 
The  only  wonder  is  they  did  not  break  their  jaws  with 
a  leverage  of  nearly  a  foot  on  a  curb  of  heavy,  closely 
joined  steel  rings.  Their  spurs,  of  which  there  are 
several  here,  are  not  so  formidable,  although  quite 


THE   TElVrPLAR   CHURCH    OF    ST.    JEAN   DE   LUZ      93 

strong  enough.  Their  swords  and  hmces  are  here, 
and  the  pikes  and  small  arms  of  their  attendants. 
Then  there  are  many  curious  things  which  they  must 
have  brought  back  with  them  from  the  East ;  among 
them  an  alabaster  image  of  the  Virgin  and  Child, 
which  is  quite  archaic  in  style,  and  must  be  very 
ancient.  There  is  a  picture  of  the  Trinity,  which  is 
the  most  curious  representation  on  canvas  of  that 
most  difficult  subject  to  paint  successfully  that  I  have 
ever  seen  or  heard  of.  At  the  top  of  the  picture  are 
three  foreheads,  three  noses,  three  mouths,  three 
chins,  four  cheeks  and  four  eyes,  joined  together  in 
one  monstrous  head,  which  is  not  attached  to  a  body 
but  placed  above  a  triangle  on  the  sides  of  which  are 
written  "  Filius  non  est  —  Pater  non  est  —  Spiritus 
non  est,"  all  the  uncompleted  sentences  being  led  by 
white  lines  to  the  word  "  Deus  "  in  the  centre.  This 
word  is  supposed  to  be  the  heart  of  the  body,  of  which 
the  combination  of  noses,  chins,  cheeks,  and  eyes  is 
the  head.  Such  a  picture  is  almost  unique.  It 
would  be  the  most  prized  gem  of  many  a  collector  of 
ancient  works  of  art  —  but  it  is  clear  up  here  among 
the  Pyrenees,  and  money  cannot  get  it  away  because 
this  Templar  church  is  a  French  "historical  monu- 
ment" and  nothing  in  it  is  for  sale  on  any  terms. 
High  prices  have  often  been  offered  for  many  things 
in  this  little  room,  but  they  have  always  been  refused. 


96      THE  TEMPLAK   CHURCH   OF   ST.   JEAN   DE  LUZ 

If  one  wishes  to  come  close  to  the  very  life  and 
spirit  of  the  Templar  monks,  he  must  go  to  Luz.  It 
is  easy  to  read  about  them,  but  here  one  can  see  them 
just  as  he  can  a  siege  at  Carcassonne. 


CHAPTER  XII 

POITIERS 

Poitiers  is  nearly  a  city  of  churches.  The  battle- 
field is  not  far  away,  but  there  is  little  of  interest  to 
see  there  now.  These  churches  are  so  remarkable, 
that  the  ecclesiastical  architecture  of  France  in  its 
historical  development  can  only  be  partially  under- 
stood without  studying  them.  The  most  noted  of 
the  churches  are  the  "  Temple  de  St.  Jean,"  the 
church  of  "  Notre  Dame  de  Poitiers,"  and  the  cathe- 
dral. I  name  them  in  the  order  of  age.  The  first  is 
thought  by  some  who  have  studied  deeply  into  these 
subjects,  to  be  the  oldest  Christian  church  in  France. 
The  date  of  its  foundation  is  not  accurately  known. 
Some  say  the  sixth  or  seventh  century ;  others  claim 
that  parts  of  it  are  as  old  as  the  third  or  fourth. 

If  any  one  knows,  it  must  be  the  learned  Belgian, 
Professor  Delaroche  whom  I  met  there,  hard  at  work, 
as  he  has  been  for  the  last  five  years,  writing  a  his- 
tory of  it.  If  a  man  who  has  achieved  such  a  success 
that  he  is  now  a  member  of  twenty-nine  societies  of 
H  97 


98  POITIERS 

learning  in  Europe,  finds  it  worth  his  while  to  give 
so  large  a  part  of  his  life  to  this  one  building,  it 
must  indeed  be  remarkable. 

He  fixes  a  much  earlier  date  than  the  sixth  cen- 
tury for  its  foundation,  and  believes  that  it  was 
begun  not  later  than  the  fourth.  This  church  was 
originally  a  baptistery.  The  font,  large  and  deep 
enough  for  immersion,  still  remains,  and  also  the 
pipes  to  bring  the  water  in,  and  to  carry  it  off.  The 
architecture  and  the  masonry  show  something  of  the 
Roman  manner,  and  something  of  the  Visigothic. 
There  is  little  beauty  about  it.  It  is  small,  even 
with  the  additions  of  porch  and  apse  which  were 
made  to  convert  the  baptistery  into  a  church.  There 
are  no  columns  and  aisles  and  painted  windows  to 
make  it  charming  to  the  eye  —  but  it  is  most  interest- 
ing to  stand  within  what  may  have  been  the  first 
Christian  cliurch  in  France. 

The  venerable  temple  is  now  a  museum,  filled  with 
most  curious  carvings  and  fragments  of  buildings 
found  in  the  neighborhood,  and  there  are  also  several 
sarcophagi  of  the  Merovingian  period,  which  were 
discovered  near  by  not  many  years  ago. 

The  church  of  Notre  Dame  de  Poitiers  is  perfectly 
fascinating.  The  Romanesque  fagade  is  carved  with 
sculpture  from  base  to  tower  top.  The  effect  is  in- 
describably rich.      Surely   Haig's  attention  has    not 


POITIERS  99 

been  called  to  this  marvel  of  florid  Romanesque  or  he 
would  have  etched  it  long  ago.  It  is  one  of  the  few 
profusely  sculptured  fa9ades  in  France  which  retain 
nearly  all  the  figures  uninjured  except  by  the  touch 
of  time.  Apostles,  martyrs,  kings,  and  prophets, 
Adam  and  Eve,  and  all  the  patriarchs,  many  a  Bible 
story,  many  from  lives  of  saints,  are  sculptured  here 
with  most  delightful  confusion  and  irrelevance  of 
subject,  but  with  most  perfect  and  delicious  artistic 
harmony  of  line  and  form.  There  is  a  porch  at  the 
side,  too,  whose  rounded  Roman  arch  is  nearly  as 
richly  sculptured. 

There  are  two  circular  turrets  that  flank  the  gable 
of  the  facade,  and  these  are  as  picturesque  as  any- 
thing else  in  the  beautiful  old  building. 

The  whole  of  it  is  wondrously  mellowed  by  long 
exposure  to  sun,  and  rain,  and  wind.  There  is  a 
glow  about  it  like  that  of  a  very  old  picture.  The 
outlines  of  the  innumerable  figures  are  softened. 
Not  one  angle  remains. 

This  ancient  church,  with  all  its  magnificent  wealth 
of  ornament,  stands  modestly  in  the  market-place, 
and  the  booths  of  the  peasants  are  about  it.  The 
common  people  come  and  go  with  their  fruits  and 
flowers  and  vegetables,  and  there  are  busy  noisy  little 
carts  and  quaint  old  vehicles  that  seem  nearly  as 
ancient  as  the  church  itself. 


100  POITIERS 

Within  they  have  tried  to  make  the  old  church 
vain  by  covering  her  arches  and  vaulted  roofs  with 
hideous,  glaring,  modern  painting,  supposed  to  be  a 
restoration,  but  in  reality  a  murder  of  all  the  interior 
beauty.  If  it  had  been  let  alone,  it  would  have  been 
charming.  As  it  is,  after  a  single  glance  one  seeks 
the  door,  and  leaves  it  with  a  shudder. 

The  cathedral  of  St.  Pierre,  founded  by  Henry  II. 
of  England,  is  quite  as  remarkable  as  Notre  Dame 
de  Poitiers,  though  in  a  very  different  way.  Here 
the  interior  is  the  chief  charm.  It  is  one  of  the 
noblest  specimens  of  Poitevine  architecture  in 
existence.  The  simplicity,  harmony,  grace,  and 
strength  of  its  lines  and  construction  are  admirable 
in  the  highest  degree.  This  peculiar  style  combines 
the  round  arch  of  the  Romanesque  with  the  pointed 
of  the  Gothic  in  a  most  peculiar  and  beautiful  way. 
No  dissonance  is  perceived  between  them.  On  the 
contrary,  one  melts  into  the  other  with  some  curious 
sympathy  of  grace.  There  are  other  most  inter- 
esting churches  in  Poitiers,  especially  St.  Radegonde, 
and  there  are  many  quaint  buildings  with  richly 
carved  fa9ades.  Perhaps  the  most  remarkable  of 
these  is  the  house  of  Diane  de  Poitiers,  where  she 
lived  long  with  her  husband,  Louis  de  Br^ze,  Grand 
Seneschal  of  Normandy,  before  she  went  to  the 
French  court  and  captivated  Henry  II. 


POITIERS  101 

The  battle-field  of  Poitiers  is  naturally  interesting 
to  all  English-speaking  people,  but  it  is  difficult  to 
locate  it  exactly  now.  The  French  have  not  been 
careful  to  preserve  the  monuments  of  their  most 
disastrous  defeat.  Moreover,  a  railroad  has  trav- 
ersed the  field  where  the  Fi-ench  king  was  taken  and 
the  Black  Prince  destroyed  the  flower  of  the  French 
chivahy.  The  configuration  of  the  country  is  not, 
however,  greatly  changed,  and  it  is  still  possible  to 
see  what  an  advantage  the  English  soldier  had  in 
his  admirably  chosen  position,  while  the  French  had 
to  advance  up  a  slope  with  the  sun  in  their  eyes. 
But  all  this  is  a  matter  of  history.  I  only  wished  in 
this  chapter  to  emphasize  the  beauty  of  the  churches 
of  Poitiers,  for  it  seems  that  but  few  Americans  come 
to  the  lovely  old  town. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

TWO   ANCIENT   BEAKNAIS   CHURCHES 

The  cathedral  of  Lescar  —  for  it  was  a  cathedral 
once  —  is  not  far  from  Pan.  In  about  three-quarters 
of  an  hour  one  can  drive  there.  The  place  is  hardly 
less  interesting  historically  than  Pau  itself,  for  Les- 
car was  once  the  seat  of  government  of  the  Bdar- 
nais  region  which  afterward  was  merged  in  the  king- 
dom of  Navarre. 

It  is  upon  the  crest  of  one  of  those  low  hills  about 
Pau  which  are  wonderful  because  of  the  views  they 
command  of  the  fertile  valley,  the  "  coteaux "  with 
their  trees  and  vines,  and  the  snow-clad  Pyrenees 
rising  beyond. 

There  was  a  castle  at  Lescar  which  long  antedated 
the  chateau  at  Pau.  Gaston  Phoebus  was  not  born 
when  this  castle  was  built,  nor  was  many  a  prince  of 
his  line  before  him.  There  is  very  little  left  of  it 
now,  only  a  ruined  tower,  a  most  picturesque  arched 
gateway,  and  a  bit  of  wall  here  and  there.  What  is 
left  artists  would  love  to  paint,  but  in  the  church 

102 


TWO  ANCIENT   BEARNAIS   CHURCHES  103 

itself  architects  would  delight  more  than  painters, 
because  here  is  one  of  the  few  remaining  specimens 
of  tlie  very  old  Norman  architecture.  According  to 
proper  definition,  it  is  not  Norman  at  all.  Some  of 
those  who  describe  it  call  it  Romanesque,  but  it  is 
not  exactly  that  either.  I  call  it  Norman  because 
we  are  more  accustomed  to  associate  with  that  word 
than  any  other,  heavy,  round  arches,  and  massive 
columns  and  a  simple  ornament  about  the  capitals 
of  the  columns  not  in  the  least  like  the  carvino-s 
of  the  Gothic  architects. 

The  fa9ade  of  this  church  might  well  have  excited 
the  interest  even  of  a  Richardson;  for  some  of  his 
arched  doorways  are  made  upon  nearly  the  same 
lines  as  this  one,  but  he  uses  much  more  ornament. 
There  is  something  most  interesting  about  these 
deeply  recessed  openings  into  a  church.  In  the 
mind  of  the  builder  it  must  have  been  clear  that 
one  should  come  gradually  from  the  full  light  of 
day  into  the  softened  light  of  the  sanctuary.  He 
must  also  have  felt  that  there  should  be  a  thoug-ht 
of  humility  in  entering  a  place  of  worship,  for  the 
concentred  arches  become  smaller  and  smaller  as 
the  entrance  is  reached. 

But  the  chief  interest  of  the  cathedral  of  Lescar  is 
not  in  this  fa9ade,  simple  and  yet  imposing  as  it  is. 
The  columns  inside  are  the  most  remarkable  things 


104  TWO   ANCIENT   BEARNAIS   CHURCHES 

about  the  church,  and  these  are  interesting  in  many 
ways.  Their  bases  are  great  round  masses  of  stone, 
far  Larger  than  the  columns  that  surmount  them  —  so 
much  larger  that  they  seem  rather  unnecessary  for 
the  support  of  the  somewhat  low  roof  which  they 
uphold.  Possibly  they  were  stronger  than  what  was 
really  needed,  but  the  architect  of  those  days  pre- 
ferred stability  to  anything  else.  He  wished  his 
building  to  stand  for  all  time  if  possible.  This 
building  has  stood  for  more  than  a  thousand  years, 
and  even  now  it  shows  few  signs  of  old  age. 

This  architecture  is  so  massive  in  form,  so  stern 
in  line,  that  it  seems  hardly  possible  it  could  have 
been  splendidly  decorated,  and  yet  such  is  the  fact. 
At  least  all  of  the  apse  in  this  church  was  covered 
with  frescoes.  Nor  were  they  bad  pictures  either, 
when  one  thinks  how  long  ago  they  were  painted. 
There  is  something  in  the  spirit  of  them  strongly 
suggestive  of  Giotto.  Nobody  knows  who  painted 
them,  but  it  is  not  impossible  that  some  Italian 
artist  of  the  early  days  of  Italian  art  had  a  hand 
in  it;  for  they  may  have  been  painted  much  later 
than  the  time  of  the  building  of  the  church. 

There  are  wonderful  wood-carvings  about  the 
altar  stalls  here,  quaint  in  style  but  very  direct 
and  powerful  in  expression.  But  to  the  student 
the  most  interestinrr  earvinjjs  in  the  church  would 


TWO   ANCIENT  BEARNAIS   CHURCHES  105 

be  those  about  the  capitals  of  the  columns.  I  do 
not  know  the  history  of  them,  but  it  is  certain  that 
they  are  truly  in  the  very  spirit  of  that  early  archi- 
tecture of  which  so  few  specimens  remain.  The 
familiar  "  dog's  tooth "  and  "  saw-edge  "  way  of 
ornamenting  is  to  be  seen  all  through  this  church, 
but  I  think  I  have  never  seen  dragons  or  devils 
used  with  such  immense  effect  in  an  ornamental 
way. 

On  several  columns  there  are  double  dragons  — 
twins  they  might  be,  like  the  Siamese  —  united  at 
only  one  point,  but  actuated  by  a  common  desire  of 
devouring  sinners.  Each  mouth  has  a  bad  man's 
head  in  it,  and  each  tail  is  coiled  about  a  bad 
man's  legs.  I  only  know  tliey  are  bad  because 
otherwise  they  would  not  have  been  thus  treated. 
The  expressions  of  their  faces  do  not  indicate 
suffering  or  alarm  —  rather  idiocy  or  stupefaction. 
This  is  very  amusing,  but  the  most  interesting 
thing  to  a  student  of  art  is  that  these  extraordinary 
figures  are  really  decorative  and  made  to  harmonize 
in  line  and  form  with  the  columns  whose  capitals 
they  decorate.  I  should  have  expected  this  in 
Gothic,  but  not  in  early  Romanesque.  For  this 
reason  among  others  I  think  this  church  one  of 
the  most  remarlcable  examples  of  that  rare  style 
to  be  found  anywhere. 


106  TWO   ANCIENT   BEARNAIS   CHURCHES 

This  study  of  the  Lescar  cathedral  leads  naturally 
to  a  thought  of  the  other  one  at  Morlaas,  and  not 
only  because  of  some  relation  between  the  architect- 
ure of  the  two,  but  also  on  account  of  a  certain 
resemblance  between  them  in  their  history.  The 
cathedral  of  Lescar  was  built  in  expiation  for  a 
murder.  The  church  at  Morlaas  also  owes  its  ex- 
istence to  what  the  priests  called  a  crime,  but  it  was 
one  of  quite  a  different  kind.  Centulle  was  the 
criminal,  and  yet  he  seems  to  have  been  one  of  the 
very  best  kings  Beam  ever  had.  He  helped  the  poor, 
lightened  the  taxes,  improved  the  roads,  modified  the 
severity  of  the  laws,  and  promoted  justice  as  far  as 
he  could  ;  but,  unfortunately,  he  fell  in  love  with 
Gisla,  who  was  too  nearly  related  to  him  for  mar- 
riage to  be  possible  under  the  canons  of  the  Roman 
Church.  He  married  her,  nevertheless,  and  from  their 
union  came  that  Gaston  whose  descendants  were  to 
be  such  illustrious  princes  at  Pan,  and  one  of  whom, 
Gaston  Phcebus,  was  to  found  the  chateau  there. 

Pope  Gregory  VII.  heard  of  this  marriage,  and 
wrote  a  letter  to  Centulle,  telling  him  he  must  put 
away  his  wife,  Gisla,  and  expiate  his  crime  by  devot- 
ing himself  to  the  church.  He  did  so,  and  because 
of  that  command  of  the  Pope,  the  church  at  Morlaas 
was  built,  and  most  richly  endowed.  It  is  the  story 
of   the  Abbaye  aux  Hommes  and  the  Abbaye  aux 


TWO  ANCIENT  BEARNAIS   CHUllCHES  107 

Dames  over  again,  tliougli  William  and  Matilda  do 
not  seem  to  have  obeyed  tlie  Pope's  mandate  in  quite 
the  same  way  as  did  Centulle  and  Gisla. 

The  story  of  Gisla's  after  life,  when  her  husband 
had  been  taken  from  her  by  the  papal  mandate,  is 
one  of  the  most  interesting  chapters  in  mediseval 
history.  This  noble  woman,  whose  love  —  whose 
all  that  made  life  sweet  —  had  been  torn  from  her, 
did  not  lose  her  faith  or  her  courage.  She  resolved 
to  found  a  retreat  for  gentlewomen  who  had  deter- 
mined to  give  up  the  world ;  not  exactly  a  nunnery, 
but  even  stricter  in  its  rules  than  those  of  the  nuns. 
She  built  a  building  at  Marcigny,  in  the  region  of 
the  Loire.  Here  she  dwelt  herself,  and  others  who 
had  been  afflicted  in  a  similar  way  also  dwelt  there 
with  her.  Those  who  came  there  came  to  stay  until 
death  took  them  away,  and  they  were  never  to  go 
outside  the  walls  until  death  called  them.  There 
came  a  fire  in  the  town  one  day,  and  this  retreat 
seemed  doomed.  Hugues,  the  venerable  Archbishop 
of  Lyons,  was  there,  and  he  absolved  the  women 
from  their  vows  and  commanded  them  to  come  out. 
Gisla  said  it  would  be  better  to  pray  that  the  fire 
might  be  extinguished,  and  said  it  mattered  little 
how  those  within  the  threatened  walls  met  death, 
because  they  were  there  to  await  it.  The  arch- 
bishop then  did  pray  that  the  flames  might  be  stayed, 


lOS  TWO   ANCIENT   EEARNAIS    CHURCHES 

and  they  were  ;  but  not  one  of  the  noble  women  left 
those  walls  before  death,  if  history  tells  the  truth. 

This  was  Gisla's  part  of  the  sacrifice  required  by 
the  Pope.  Centulle  married  again,  but  he  never 
ceased  to  care  for  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Faith  at 
Morlaas,  which  he  founded  because  of  his  sin,  and 
it  became  a  very  rich  and  most  important  church  in 
those  days. 

There  is  not  very  much  left  of  the  old  part  of  the 
church  of  Morlaas  now,  but  there  is  enough  to  show 
that  it  was  and  is  one  of  the  most  remarkable  exam- 
ples of  very  ancient  Romanesque  in  all  this  region. 
The  fagade  is  the  most  interesting  part  of  the  build- 
ing, because  it  shows  exactly  what  were  the  entrances 
to  churches  in  the  early  Romanesque  time,  and  how 
they  were  related  in  style  to  tlie  magnificent  Gothic 
portals  that  followed  them  many  years  afterward. 
There  are  points  of  close  resemblance  most  interest- 
ing to  trace,  and  there  are  the  widest  differences. 

The  great  central  arch  of  the  IMorlaas  fagade  and 
the  arches  on  each  side  of  it  are  altogether  Roman- 
esque and  very  richly  ornamented.  Above  the  cen- 
tral arch  the  architecture  is  distinctly  Gothic  of  a 
very  early  period.  There  is  the  pointed  form,  with 
pinnacles  and  gargoyles,  and  there  is  an  unmistakable 
suggestion  of  the  buttress  construction,  so  character- 
istic of  the  Gothic,  though  not  in  its  fully  developed 
form. 


THE    CHURCH    OF    THE    HOLY    FAITH    AT    MORLAAS 


TWO   ANCIENT   BEARNAIS   CHURCHES  109 

A  very  curious  thing  about  this  upper  part  of  the 
facade  is  the  way  the  three  bells  are  placed  in  it.  In- 
stead of  being  in  a  belfry  or  tower  they  are  in  open 
niches  in  the  wall  itself.  The  clock  is  placed  in  the 
centre  —  one  bell  over  it  and  one  on  each  side.  The 
effect  is  most  peculiar.  I  do  not  remember  seeing 
such  an  arrangement  anywhere  else.  I  was  not  able 
to  find  out  just  when  this  Gothic  addition  was  made. 
Perhaps  the  date  is  not  known,  for  a  very  old  history 
of  the  church  which  I  consulted  says  nothing  of  it. 

There  is  doubt  also  about  the  real  meaning  of  the 
figures,  which  are  arranged  in  concentric  semicircles 
upon  the  arches  that  together  form  the  great  re- 
cessed doorway.  In  the  old  history  I  spoke  of,  writ- 
ten before  the  restorations  were  made,  some  meanings 
were  suggested  which  apparently  did  not  approve 
themselves  to  the  architects  who  made  the  restora- 
tions, for  they  only  followed  the  writer  of  the  old 
history  in  part.  In  the  tympana  of  the  two  smaller 
arches  over  the  entrance  are  Herod  directing  the 
massacre  of  the  Innocents,  and  the  Flight  into  Egypt. 
Between  them,  above,  is  a  figure  of  Christ  giving  the 
blessing  of  the  Trinity  with  upraised  right  hand,  the 
first  and  second  fingers  being  upright  and  the  thumb 
crossing  them  in  the  conventional  way  for  such  a 
blessing. 

The  spirit  of  all  the  ornamentation  of  this  arch  is 


110  T^VO   ANCIENT   BEARNAIS   CHURCHES 

undoubtedly  religious,  and  I  do  not  wish  to  criticise 
it  in  any  irreverent  spirit,  but  the  effect  is  so  irresis- 
tibly comical  that  no  true  description  of  it  can  be 
given  that  leaves  out  the  funny  side.  The  expres- 
sion of  the  wise  man  who  mocks  Herod  would  make 
the  most  melancholy  of  men  laugh.  It  is  a  combina- 
tion of  a  leer,  a  sneer,  and  general  hopeless  idiocy. 
Moreover,  he  stands  on  one  leg,  and  twists  the  other 
leg  about  the  one  on  which  he  stands.  This  twisted 
leg,  if  unwound,  would  reach  I  don't  know  how  far 
beyond  the  limits  of  the  bas-relief.  It  seems  to  have 
been  modelled  on  some  serpent  of  mighty  proportions, 
suggestive,  perhaps,  of  the  one  who  tempted  Eve  in 
the  garden  ;  for  this  would  be  quite  in  accord  with 
the  general  spirit  of  the  composition.  The  Flight  into 
Egypt  is  nearly  as  funny,  principally  on  account  of 
the  extraordinary  construction  of  the  donkey,  whose 
legs  are  as  much  too  short  as  the  wise  man's  were  too 
long.  It  is  hard  to  understand  the  sculptor's  lack  of 
fidelity  here  at  least,  if  donkeys  were  as  numerous 
in  this  part  of  the  world  in  his  day  as  they  are  now, 
but  the  artist's  power  was  not  sufficient  to  reproduce 
accurately  even  what  he  saw  about  him  every  day. 
His  aim  may  have  been  to  conventionalize  for  the 
sake  of  properly  ornamenting  spaces  that  needed 
ornament,  but  faithful  reproduction  was  in  any  case 
out  of  his  reach. 


TWO   ANCIENT    CEAP.NAIS   CHURCHES  111 

The  funniest  part  of  the  whole  conception  is  the 
figures  which  adorn  the  two  principal  arches.  On 
tlie  outer  one,  which  is,  of  course,  the  larger,  are 
thirty-four  figures,  and  they  are  apparently  all  varia- 
tions on  one  theme.  The  only  name  I  could  think 
of,  that  was  in  the  least  appropriate,  was  "  A  Study 
in  Stomach  Aches."  I  did  not  know  that  the  agonies 
of  violent  colic  could  be  portrayed  in  so  many  differ- 
ent ways.  Sometimes  both  hands  are  on  the  stomach; 
sometimes  one  is  uplifted  as  though  in  protest  against 
the  pain ;  sometimes  both  uphold  the  bowed  head. 
The  legs  are  drawn  up  and  contorted  in  all  kinds  of 
ways.  I  am  quite  at  a  loss  to  account  for  this  ex- 
traordinary choice  of  subject.  Perhaps  there  was  a 
plague  once  at  Morlaas  and  the  stricken  ones  came  to 
be  relieved  at  the  church.  Perhaps  they  had  taken  too 
much  of  the  wine  of  the  country,  whose  extreme  acid- 
ity would  amply  account  for  the  most  violent  pains. 

At  all  events,  the  sufferers  ought  to  be  healed  if 
the  august  people  who  adorn  the  arch  just  beneath 
them  can  do  anything;  for  these  are  kings  with 
crown  and  sceptre,  and  they  are  praying  with  all 
their  might.  It  must  be  that  these  royal  people  are 
interceding  vigorously  for  the  tortured  ones  above 
them.  Unless  there  is  some  such  connection  as  this 
between  the  two  arches,  there  is  no  coherence  ol 
subject  at  all,  nor  any  possible  explanation. 


112  TWO   ANCIENT   BEAKNAIS    CHURCHES 

These  figures,  comical  as  they  are,  are  neverthe- 
less very  decorative,  and  they  suggest  that  style 
which  afterward  came  to  such  magnificence  in  the 
glorious  facade  of  Amiens  cathedral. 

I  think  there  may  have  been  niches  below  for  larger 
figures.  At  all  events,  blocks  of  stone  unsupported  by 
columns  protrude  so  curiously  from  near  the  bases 
of  the  arches  that  they  make  it  certain  something 
must  once  have  been  below  them,  whether  columns 
or  figures  in  niches  I  cannot  tell. 

The  fa9ade  is  by  far  the  most  interesting  part  of 
the  church.  The  interior  does  not  compare  with 
that  of  Lescar,  for  it  is  not  Romanesque  at  all,  ex- 
cept in  the  restored  parts,  but  clearly  Gothic  of  a 
very  early  half-formed  style.  Three  of  the  old 
chapels  have  been  restored  in  the  Romanesque  man- 
ner, and  these  are  quite  splendid  in  color,  being 
decorated  from  floor  to  topmost  arch  with  red  and 
blue  and  gold.  But,  on  the  whole,  the  interior  is  not 
interestinsf-  The  Gothic  has  not  been  well  united 
Avith  its  predecessor,  and  the  result  is  somewhat  con- 
fusing. 

What  a  pity  that  Centulle's  church  could  not 
have  been  preserved  as  it  was  when  he  built  it  I  If 
it  had  been,  we  might  have  learned  more  about  the 
early  Romanesque  of  France  here  than  from  any 
other  existing  building  that  dates    from    that   time. 


TWO  ANCIENT  BEARNAIS   CHURCHES  113 

But  even  as  it  is  it  harmonizes  in  some  curious  way 
with  the  forms  of  the  mountains  that  surround  it, 
and  as  I  rode  home  again  down  the  hill  of  Morlaas, 
and  along  the  valley  of  the  Gave  de  Pau,  and  looked 
at  the  great  peaks  beyond  the  river  there  was  in  my 
thought  a  most  singular  mixture  of  the  rounded 
forms  of  the  mountains  and  the  round  arches  that 
bend  over  the  portal  of  Morlaas'  church. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

THE  CHATEAU  OF  HENRY  OF  NAVARRE 

The  chateau  in  which  Henry  of  Navarre  was  born 
is  a  very  ancient  building.  It  was  begun  in  the 
tenth  century.  Unfortunately,  but  little  remains  of 
the  original  structure,  although  there  is  enough  to 
indicate  clearly  the  outlines  of  its  construction. 

The  man  who  first  made  this  place  a  fortress- 
castle  was  Gaston  de  Foix — usually  called  Gaston 
Phoebus,  because  he  adopted  a  blazing  sun  as  the 
emblem  for  his  coat  of  arms.  No  one  knows  exactly 
why  he  chose  the  sun  for  his  emblem.  It  was  cer- 
tainly an  ambitious  thing  to  do,  because  it  naturally 
suggests  that  he  thought  he  might  outshine  others. 
Some  think  the  emblem  was  chosen  because  of  the 
physical  beauty  of  tlie  man,  which  was  certainly 
most  remarkable  ;  but  personal  vanity  would  hardly 
carry  him  to  such  an  extreme,  however  handsome 
he  may  have  been.  Others  think  it  was  because  his 
success  in  war  was  so  great  that  he  was  entitled  to 
outshine  any  soldier  of  his  day.     It  may  be  that  h 

114 


fe!  hi  im  is:!  fc 


THE   CHATEAU   OF   HENRY   OF   NAVARRE       115 

chose  the  sun  for  his  emblem  because  it  had  so  much 
to  do  with  the  beauty  of  his  castle. 

T]ie  chateaux  in  the  valley  of  the  Loire,  and  b}'- 
the  banks  of  the  Cher  and  the  Indre,  are  surrounded 
by  natural  beauty  of  a  very  unusual  kind,  but  there 
is  no  one  of  them  —  not  even  Chinon  —  that  com- 
pares in  loveliness  of  surrounding  scenery  with  tlie 
chateau  on  the  hill  crest  above  the  Gave  de  Pan, 
whose  outlook  is  first  across  the  river  valley,  then 
upon  the  "  coteaux "  that  rise  slowly,  gently,  one 
behind  the  other,  and  at  last  upon  the  full  splendor 
of  the  snow-clad  Pyrenees.  Upon  these  "  coteaux  " 
are  the  vines  of  Juran9on,  the  oaks  of  the  Pyrenees, 
—  a  foreground  for  the  picture  of  snow-clad  peaks 
behind  them,  seen  against  the  blue  sky  of  the  south, 
that  cannot  be  seen  anywhere  else. 

The  chateau  of  Pau  was  already  an  old  castle 
when  Henry  IV.  was  born  there.  It  was  a  very 
stern  castle  then.  There  were  five  great  towers. 
These  were  connected  by  buildings  in  which  were 
the  lodging  and  reception  rooms,  and  the  state 
apartments.  It  was  almost  triangular  in  shape, 
because  it  followed  the  natural  formation  of  the  hill 
on  whose  top  it  stands.  There  were  formerly  ram- 
parts around  the  castle,  and  a  moat  that  was  far 
below  these.  In  the  old  days,  when  this  place  was 
really  a  fortress,  it  must  have  been  far  more  pictu- 


116   THE  CHATEAU  OF  HENEY  OF  NAVARRE 

resque  even  than  it  is  to-day,  for  then  the  houses 
clustered  about  it,  and  the  great  church  of  St.  Mar- 
tin was  not  far  from  the  drawbridge  that  gave 
entrance  close  by  the  tower  of  Gaston  Phcebus. 
The  tower  is  still  here,  built  of  the  bricks  that  were 
made  on  the  banks  of  the  Gave,  and  the  stones  that 
were  found  in  its  valley.  Now  most  of  the  castle 
has  been  rebuilt  in  gray  stone,  but  this  harmonizes 
beautifully  with  the  green  trees  all  about.  The 
moat  has  been  filled  up,  but  it  has  become  one  of 
the  most  charming  of  gardens,  where  the  people 
walk  and  the  children  play, 

Jeanne  d'Albret,  the  mother  of  Henry  of  Navarre, 
might  have  liked  to  see  the  people  wandering  in 
these  gardens,  and  even  in  her  ancient  halls,  for 
she  loved  the  people  more  than  any  other  princess 
of  her  time.  She  was  quite  unlike  the  women  at 
the  court  of  the  French  king.  She  had  an  intelli- 
gence superior  to  theirs,  and  a  simplicity  of  mind 
and  courage,  both  physical  and  mental,  of  which  they 
knew  little  and  cared  less.  Some  say  that  she  was 
poisoned  because  her  virtue  was  a  rebuke  to  those 
who  were  living  licentious  lives. 

When  Henry  IV.  came  into  the  world  his  mother 
sang  the  song  of  the  Bearnaises,  in  which  they  ask 
to  be  the  mother  of  a  man.  When  her  child  was 
born,  and  his  grandfather  had  taken  him  in  his  arms 


THE  CHATEAU  OF  HENRY  OF  NAVARRE   117 

aiul  in  his  way  christened  him  with  Jurangon  wine, 
his  education  became  at  once  her  task.  She  treated 
him  not  as  if  he  were  a  king,  but  more  as  the  chil- 
dren of  B Jamais  peasants  are  treated. 

The  king's  bo3'hood  was  spent  among  the  moun- 
tains at  Coarraze,  Avhere  he  was  brought  up  as  a 
real  child  of  the  people.  Later  he  came  back  to 
the  castle  at  Pau.  He  was  a  hardy  peasant  then  in 
his  strength  and  in  his  simple  way  of  living,  but  he 
was  already  beginning  to  be  a  soldier.  Later,  in 
the  gardens  and  parks  of  his  castle  he  learned  to 
love  with  all  the  ardor  of  the  south.  Gabrielle 
d'Estr^es  could  tell  of  this  side  of  his  character. 
He  loved  her  deeply,  and  she  might  have  been 
his  queen  if  the  same  poison  that  may  have  killed 
his    mother  had   not   killed   his   lady-love    also. 

He  must  have  retained  something  of  his  simple 
habits,  however,  even  in  the  great  castle.  It  is 
said  that  one  of  his  peasant  friends  came  there 
once  to  visit  him.  This  farmer  of  Beam  does 
not  seem  to  have  been  frightened  by  the  splendors 
about  him.  On  the  contrary,  he  was  afraid  his 
prince  was  about  to  starve.  There  is  a  custom 
in  this  country  almost  universally  observed,  that 
is,  to  hang  the  provisions  for  the  winter  on  the 
rafters  of  the  kitchen,  which  was  also  the  dining- 
room.      This   custom   is   still   the   same   as    in    the 


118        THE   CHATEAU   OF   HENRY   OF   NAVARRE 

time  of  King  Henry.  Hams  and  sides  of  bacon, 
perhaps  a  boar's  head,  whatever  vegetables  could 
be  thus  kept,  might  be  seen  hanging  from  these 
rafters  in  the  house  of  any  well-to-do  farmer  in 
the  time  of  Henry  IV.,  and  they  can  be  seen 
there  now.  The  king's  peasant  visitor  was  aston- 
ished because  he  did  not  see  them  hanging  from 
the  ceilings  of  the  palace.  He  said,  "Sieur,  surely 
one  will  die  of  hunger  here,  because  you  have  no 
provisions  on  the  ceiling."  I  give  the  literal  trans- 
lation, because  it  best  expresses  the  intimate  re- 
lation between  the  king  and  his  subjects  of  Pau, 
who  hardly  knew  he  was  a  king  in  those  earlier 
days,  but  thought  of  him  as  one  of  themselves, 
now  a  man  of  full  stature  but  who  was  just  the 
same  person  whose  boyhood  had  been  spent  at 
Coarraze  among  the  mountains,  and  who  seemed 
there  a  peasant  and  a  mountaineer  as  they  were. 

Although  there  were  no  provisions  hanging  from 
the  raftered  ceilings  of  the  castle  of  Pau,  they 
were,  and  are,  nevertheless,  very  beautiful,  much 
more  beautiful  than  those  of  the  peasant's  farm- 
house, though  built  upon  nearly  the  same  model. 
Many  an  English  and  American  home  has  found 
the  suggestion  for  its  dining-room  ceiling  from  the 
halls  of  Pau,  not  only  the  dining-room  and  the 
kitchen,  but  the  other  great  rooms   which  are  very 


THE   CHATEAU   OF   HENRY   OF   NAVARRE       119 

fine  and  must  have  been  even  more  picturesque 
before  tlie  restoration  of  them  in  tlie  time  of 
Louis  Philippe. 

The  beds  in  this  castle  are  as  interesting  as 
the  raftered  ceilings.  That  one  which  is  said  to 
have  been  the  bed  of  Jeanne  d'Albret  herself,  is 
superbly  carved  in  ancient  oak.  Upon  the  side 
near  the  pillow  is  a  recumbent  figure  that  seems 
to  be  asleep,  but,  nevertheless,  it  is  called  the 
"guardian  angel  of  the  bed."  There  is  something 
so  curious  about  a  guardian  angel  being  asleep 
that  I  looked  ajrain  and  ao-ain  to  make  sure  that 
such  was  the  truth.  Alas !  it  is  indeed  the  fact, 
and  yet  Jeanne  d'Albret  seems  to  have  been  well 
taken  care  of  by  the  higher  powers. 

The  most  artistic  beauties  of  the  interior  are  not 
in  the  ceilings  or  the  beds,  but  in  the  tajDestries, 
which  are  simply  superb.  They  are  mostly  Gobelin 
work,  but  there  are  some  from  Beauvais.  It  would 
take  too  much  time  to  describe  them  all,  for  they 
fill  the  great  halls  and  the  smaller  chambers  too. 
They  are  nearly  everywhere  in  this  castle.  Many 
of  them  are  justly  celebrated  for  their  beauty  of 
color  and  some  for  their  interest  in  grouping  and 
picturesque  suggestion  of  some  scene.  That  one 
that  represents  Henry  IV. 's  parting  with  Gabrielle 
d'Estr^es   is    one    of   the    most   striking.      It   is   al- 


120   THE  CHATEAU  OF  HENRY  OF  NAVARRE 

most   like    a  fine   oil    painting    and    in    its    action 
it   is   extremely   dramatic. 

Bernadotte,  the  king  of  Sweden,  is  closely  asso- 
ciated with  the  chateau  of  Pan.  He  was  born 
not  far  from  it,  and  he  has  enriched  it  with  many 
costly  and  beautiful  things,  most  of  them  made  of 
the  marbles  of  Sweden,  some  of  which  are  very 
fine  in  color.  The  king  who  became  a  Protestant 
that  he  might  come  to  the  throne  of  Sweden  and 
the  other  who  became  a  Roman  Catholic  that  he 
might  be  king  of  France  are  brought  close  to- 
gether   in    this    castle. 

The  cradle  of  Henry  of  Navarre  is  in  the  chateau  of 
Pau.  It  is  a  tortoise  shell,  and  it  was  one  of  the  great 
treasures  of  all  the  southern  kingdom  when  Henry 
became  king  of  France.  There  is  a  story  about  how 
it  was  saved  at  the  time  of  the  Revolution.  A 
certain  M.  de  Beauregard  was  afraid  that  this  pre- 
cious relic  would  be  destroyed  by  the  soldiers  and 
the  mob,  and  he  resolved  to  save  it  if  he  could, 
even  at  the  peril  of  life  itself.  He  took  it  from 
the  castle  to  his  own  home,  and  substituted  an- 
other tortoise  shell  for  it  in  the  castle.  This  one 
was  destroyed  by  the  revolutionists.  When  the 
fever  of  their  wrath  had  subsided  and  there  was 
again  a  monarchy  in  France,  he  put  the  king's 
cradle  back  in  its  place.     The  story  may  be  true. 


THE  CHATEAU  OF  HENRY  OF  NAVARRE   121 

At  all  events,  the  Duchesse  d'Angouleme  believed  it, 
for  she  embroidered  the  banners  that  are  now 
about  it.  This  work  of  the  daughter  of  Louis 
XVI.  and  Marie  Antoinette  was  supplemented  by 
a  gift  from  Louis  XVIII.  of  a  gold  helmet  sur- 
mounted by  white  plumes,  meant  to  be  as  nearly 
as  possible  like  the  helmet  of  Navarre  and  the 
plumes  that  were  to  be  the  oriflamme  of  France 
on  the  day  of  Ivry. 

The  chapter  of  history  that  was  begun  in  the  cha- 
teau where  Henry  IV.  came  into  the  world  was  a 
very  strange  one.  The  strong,  proud  mother  exult- 
ing over  the  birth  of  her  son,  the  grandfather,  hardly 
less  proud,  christening  him  with  the  wine  of  his 
native  land  and  declaring  that  he  was  to  be  a  right 
noble  king,  and  a  true  Bearnais,  the  babyhood  days 
in  the  tortoise-shell  cradle,  the  years  of  boyhood 
among  the  peasants  at  Coarraze,  the  early  battles 
when  this  youth  showed  himself  a  better  soldier  than 
some  of  the  oldest  warriors  of  France,  the  grand 
battle  of  Ivry,  the  final  conquest  of  Paris,  —  all  these 
had  their  beginnings  in  this  room  at  Pan. 

The  spirit  of  Jeanne  d'Albret  is  one  of  the  noblest 
in  French  history.  During  her  absence  the  castle 
was  attacked  by  the  Biscayans,  under  Terride ;  when 
she  returned  the  assailants  were  defeated.  Strangest 
thought  of  all  about  this  place,  she  pardoned  those 


122   THE  CHATEAU  OF  HENRY  OF  NAVARRE 

who  had  rebelled  against  her  and  would  have  killed 
her  if  they  could. 

In  spite  of  the  influence  of  such  a  life  as  that  of 
Jeanne  d'Albret,  Henry  did  not  live  a  moral  life.  It 
must  have  shocked  his  mother  to  see  him  walking 
about  the  castle  with  one  of  his  mistresses.  She  must 
have  been  shocked,  too,  when  Marguerite  came  here, 
and  the  life  of  the  court  became  even  worse  than  be- 
fore. It  seems  strange  that  this  strong  noble  woman 
should  have  been  thus  afflicted.  It  is  her  spirit  even 
more  than  that  of  the  hero  of  Ivry,  the  great  king  of 
France,  that  dwells  in  the  castle  at  Pau.  It  is  not 
quite  the  same  as  the  inspiration  of  Chinon  by  Joan 
of  Arc,  but  there  is  a  most  ennobling  influence  in  it 
that  comes  from  the  thought  of  motherhood,  the  true 
woman  who  cared  for  lier  child  and  trained  him  so 
far  as  she  could  toward  the  development  of  his 
powers.  With  the  thought  of  her  it  is  possible  to 
leave  the  chateau  with  all  its  magnificence  within 
and  without,  and  come  into  the  glorious  beauty  of 
the  valley  and  the  mountains,  feeling  that  she  be- 
longed among  them  and  that  her  presence  in  the 
castle  has  brought  it  into  close  sympathy  with  the 
snow-clad  peaks  that  rise  about  its  terraces. 


CHAPTER   XV 

THE   CHATEAU   OF   LANGEAIS 

At  Chinon  the  interest  is  centralized  about  Joan 
of  Arc  and  Charles  VII.  At  Langeais  Charles  VIII. 
and  Anne  of  Brittany  are  those  most  closely  asso- 
ciated with  its  history.  It  was  here  that  they  were 
married  in  the  great  hall  which  is  now  the  salon 
of  the  chateau.  It  is  not  only  the  historical  asso- 
ciations that  make  Langeais  interesting;  there  is, 
beside,  the  beauty  of  the  place  itself  and  the  charm 
of  the  drive  to  it  from  Tours.  Langeais  is  not  a 
long  way  from  the  city  of  St.  Martin  and  Louis  XL 
The  road  follows  the  Loire,  and  there  are  pictures 
such  as  Daubigny  might  paint  at  every  turn,  but 
this  greatest  painter  of  the  river  scenery  of  France 
preferred  the  Seine.  I  wish  he  had  painted  the 
Tour  de  Cinq-Mars  that  is  on  the  way  from  Tours 
to  Langeais.  This  tower  stands  quite  alone.  It 
must  have  been  once  a  part  of  a  larger  building,  — 
a  Roman  structure,  as  some  think.  Its  loneliness 
now  is  most  significant.     It  seems  to  tell  how  Cinq- 

123 


124  THE  CHATEAU   OF   LANGEAIS 

Mars  stood  alone  on  the  scaffold  when  his  king 
had  forsaken  him  and  Richelieu  had  doomed  him 
to  die.  It  is  a  strange  episode  in  history.  Cinq- 
Mars  was  not  only  the  king's  favorite,  but  his 
power  at  court  was  so  great  that  it  was  only  next 
to  that  of  the  king  himself.  If  he  had  been  faith- 
ful, he  might  have  been  one  of  the  heroes  of  France. 
He  had  courage  enough,  but  he  lacked  judgment, 
and  his  head  was  not  sufficiently  strong  to  with- 
stand the  influence  of  the  flattery  that  the  courtiers 
daily  gave  him. 

His  life,  short  though  it  was,  gives  a  marked 
contrast  to  the  lives  of  those  who  lived  near  his 
tower.  Following  the  road  a  little  farther,  the  hills 
by  the  river-side  become  higher.  There  are  cliffs 
of  white  stone.  In  caves  in  these  cliffs  were  the 
homes  of  the  people,  while  Cinq-Mars  was  a  favor- 
ite at  court.  Cliff-dwellers  they  were  then,  and 
some  of  them  are  so  now.  Taine  says  that  the 
people  lived  in  caves  in  the  time  of  the  luxury 
and  splendor  of  Louis  XIV.'s  court.  On  the  banks 
of  the  Loire  between  Tours  and  Langeais  it  is  easy 
to  see  that  this  is  the  truth.  Although  there  are 
these  sad  associations  with  the  landscape,  there  is 
also  much  beauty.  The  winding  road  by  the  river- 
side gives  an  ever-varying  view  of  field  and  hill- 
slope,  of   orchards  and  vineyards  —  a  smiling   land 


THE  CHATEAU  OP  LANGEAIS        125 

of  plenty  and  content  it  seems.  It  was  a  land  that 
Anne  of  Brittany  loved.  It  was  her  home,  and  she 
thought  it  almost  a  kingdom  in  itself.  She  was  very 
ambitious,  and  she  even  thought  at  one  time  of  a 
marriage  with  the  king  of  Spain.  This  did  not 
come  to  pass,  but  she  married  two  kings  of  France, 
—  Charles  VIII.  and  Louis  XII.  Even  then  her 
cup  of  joy  was  not  full,  for  her  children  died  and 
no  heir  to  the  throne  of  France  came  from  her. 

Two  great  towers  flank  the  entrance  to  Anne 
of  Brittany's  chateau  of  Langeais.  They  are  round, 
with  small  openings  here  and  there,  and  they  have 
the  curious,  conical  top  so  characteristic  of  the 
French  architecture  of  that  early  time.  The  draw- 
bridge is  still  there  that  leads  to  the  gateway,  and 
even  now  it  can  be  lifted  up  by  the  long  iron  chains 
that  are  attached  to  beams  projecting  from  the  wall 
just  as  it  was  in  the  olden  time.  When  it  was 
lifted  it  became  a  defence  instead  of  a  way  of 
access,  but  there  was  still  another  defence  a  little 
behind  it,  —  the  portcullis  in  the  second  arch  of  the 
deep  gateway.  Even  from  the  entrance  it  is  easy 
to  know  that  Langeais  was  meant  to  be  a  fortress 
as  well  as  a  home.  The  walls  on  the  side  where 
this  entrance  is  emphasize  tliis  thought,  for  they 
are  very  high  and  in  their  lower  part  hardly  pierced 
at  all  by  wdndows.     The    architecture  of   Langeais 


126        THE  CHATEAU  OF  LANGEAIS 

is  in  the  very  first  f)eriod  of  the  transition  from 
the  feudal  stronghold  to  the  luxurious  chateau. 
For  this  reason  it  is  most  interesting  and  quite  as 
well  worth  study  as  any  chateau  in  Touraine,  al- 
though there  are  others  more  beautiful.  One  of 
the  truths  of  mediaeval  history  is  admirably  exem- 
plified here  in  the  same  way  as  at  Chinon  and  at 
Loches.  The  houses  come  as  close  as  they  can  to 
the  castle.  They  would  even  cross  the  moat  if  it 
were  possible,  for  the  nearer  the  people  came  to  the 
home  of  a  feudal  lord,  the  surer  they  were  of  pro- 
tection in  case  some  other  lord  attacked  him  and 
tried  to  ravage  his  domains. 

And  yet  when  the  drawbridge  is  passed  and  the 
court  entered,  the  beauty  of  Langeais  is  so  impres- 
sive that  even  Chenonceaux  and  Azay-le-Rideau 
hardly  surpass  it. 

Within  there  is  no  suggestion  of  the  warlike  aspect 
of  the  exterior.  It  seems  to  be  a  home,  a  lovely, 
most  charming  j^lace  to  dwell  in.  In  the  inner 
court  there  are  three  towers.  The  tops  of  two  of 
them  do  not  rise  far  above  the  roof  line,  but  the 
other  one  is  a  lofty  tower,  almost  as  if  bells  should 
be  there  as  in  cathedral  towers  to  give  a  call  to 
worship.  The  beauty  of  the  windows  is  almost 
as  remarkable  as  that  of  the  towers.  They  are 
richly  ornamented,  and  they  blend  most  pleasingly 


THE   CHATEAU   OF   LANGEAIS  127 

with  the  slope  of  the  roof  and  its  sky  line,  which 
here  and  there  they  break,  not  abruptly,  but  with 
the  hope  that  it  might  not  be  monotonous  because 
of  uninterrupted  length.  Within  the  court  of  Lan- 
geais  is  a  garden  a  little  formal  in  arrangement,  but 
the  terrace  by  its  side  commands  a  glorious  view. 

In  the  older  times  there  was  a  great  castle  near 
where  the  chateau  of  Langeais  now  stands.  It  was 
situated  upon  the  very  top  of  the  hill,  considerably 
higher  than  the  present  castle.  What  is  left  of  it  — 
a  few  ruins  of  walls,  a  few  statues  more  or  less 
broken  —  is  within  the  grounds  of  Langeais.  The 
view  from  the  hill  crest  where  the  old  castle  stood 
is  as  magnificent  as  that  at  Chinon.  It  is  the  same 
kind  of  scenery,  —  the  majestic  river,  the  purpled 
vineyards,  the  grace  of  the  many-arched  bridges 
spanning  the  river  here  and  there  from  one  horizon 
to  the  other,  and  catching  with  their  many  arches 
almost  the  very  form  and  spirit  of  the  river  itself. 

The  present  owner  of  Langeais  has  restored  it, 
and  made  it  as  nearly  like  the  old  building  as  he 
could.  In  this  he  has  been  successful,  and  it  was 
not  an  easy  thing  to  do,  nor  would  many  men  wish 
to  live  in  rooms  of  the  thirteenth-century  manner 
of  domestic  architecture.  It  is  curious  to  think  of 
children  of  our  own  day  sleeping  in  beds  that  are 
as  nearly  as  possible  the  same  as  Anne  of  Brittany 


128  THE   CHATEAU    OF    LANGEAIS 

used  herself  and  put  her  children  to  sleep  in.  The 
unhappy  queen  lost  her  children,  but  for  a  little 
while  at  Langeais  the  babies  were  in  beds  such  as 
are  there  now. 

The  hall  in  which  Charles  VIII.  and  Anne  of 
Brittany  were  married  is  unaltered  save  by  the  addi- 
tion of  exquisite  carved  furniture  and  rugs,  superb 
in  color,  and  soft  and  rich  in  texture.  This  is  now 
the  parlor  of  the  mansion,  and  there  are  few  more 
interesting  salons  in  Europe,  partly  because  of  the 
beauty  of  it  and  partly  because  of  its  associations. 

On  the  battlements  above  this  beautiful  room  is 
even  now  a  picture  of  war  in  the  mediseval  time,  for 
all  along  their  course  about  the  castle  are  the  loop- 
holes for  the  archers  and  the  narrow  openings  for  the 
pouring  down  of  the  boiling  oil  that  was  so  potent  a 
weapon  in  the  warfare  of  those  days. 

After  seeing  all  this,  we  went  out  from  the  gate 
of  the  tower-flanked  portal  by  the  drawbridge ;  and  it 
seemed  like  stepping  almost  in  a  moment  from  the 
days  of  old  to  our  own  time. 

We  followed  the  winding  river  back  toward 
Tours;  and  as  the  towers  of  the  town  began  to  rise 
in  the  distance  above  the  line  of  Tours'  great  bridge, 
the  sun  set  in  a  glory  of  vivid  gold,  and  made  the 
river  as  golden  as  the  sky.  Each  arch  of  the  bridge 
had  its  reflection  in  the  softly  lighted  water.     Softer 


THE  CHATEAU  OF  LANGEAIS        129 

and  softer  became  tlie  tones  as  darkness  began  to 
fall.  Farther  and  farther  away  seemed  the  days  of 
Anne  and  of  Charles,  which  had  come  again  to  life 
for  us  for  the  little  time  we  were  at  Langeais. 

It  was  only  one  day,  but  we  dreamed  and  we 
wondered,  as  we  passed  over  the  majestic  bridge,  in 
what  age  of  the  world  we  were  living. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

CHENONCEAUX   AND   AZAY-LE-RIDEAU 

The  chateaux  of  Chenonceaux  and  Azay-le-Rideau 
are  closely  associated  in  the  style  of  their  archi- 
tecture. It  is  a  peculiar  style,  not  known  by  any  dis- 
tinctive name  unless  it  be  called  French  Renaiscence, 
which  would  imply  an  earlier  origin  for  that  style  than 
is  generally  given  to  it.  The  best  definition  of  it  would 
be  a  French  fortress  made  into  a  palatial  home. 
There  is  still  something:  of  the  mediaeval  thought  of 
defence,  but  there  is  not  much  of  this.  For  the 
most  part,  beauty  has  taken  the  place  once  held  by 
the  stern  defences  of  the  French  castles.  The  rea- 
son is  not  far  to  seek.  When  these  two  buildings 
were  made,  the  feudal  lords  did  not  have  need  to 
defend  themselves  against  a  foreign  foe  or  even 
against  each  other.  The  English  had  been  driven 
away  from  these  fair  lands  of  France  and  Louis  XI. 
had  made  a  kingdom  where  before  were  warring 
barons,  and  no  unity  of  national  life. 

It  is  curious  how  quickly  the  thought  of  beauty 
130 


CHENONCEAUX   AND    AZAY-LE-lllDEAU  lol 

came  after  the  feudal  fort  was  no  longer  needed. 
Some  think  that  Chenonceaux  and  Azay-le-Rideau 
are  the  most  beautiful  buildings  of  their  kind  in  the 
world. 

The  change  from  the  defensive  to  the  orna- 
mental architecture  is  interesting.  The  forms  and 
lines  of  the  old  castles  were  retained  to  some  ex- 
tent, but  they  were  adapted  to  a  different  purpose. 
The  sterner  features  are  left  out  and  only  what  is 
beautiful  or  strong  in  the  older  way  of  building  is 
retained.  The  archers'  loopholes  give  place  to 
beautiful  broad  windows  with  carved  ornaments  in 
stone  about  them.  The  drawbridge  is  replaced  by  a 
structure  of  stone  with  sculptured  lions  about  it. 

Azay-le-Rideau  is  very  peculiar  in  shape.  The 
main  part  is  almost  square,  but  there  is  a  wing  which 
comes  from  it  at  a  right  angle  and  this  is  first  seen 
after  crossing  the  bridge  of  the  lions.  At  every 
corner  are  round  towers  with  conical  tops.  They 
are  of  white  stone  and  the  roofs  are  of  blue  slate. 
All  about  are  great  trees  that  in  the  days  of  autumn 
are  yellow  and  orange  and  green  that  is  less  brilliant 
than  in  summer.  There  are  many  vines  about  the 
bridge  and  the  balustrades  of  the  terraces,  that  are 
brilliantly  red  like  the  w^oodbine  and  the  sumach  in 
October. 

All  these  colors  are   not  seen   once    only.     Both 


132         CHENONCEAUX   AND   AZAY-LE-RIDEAU 

nature  and  art  so  delight  in  the  charm  of  them  that 
they  must  needs  be  repeated  in  the  waters  of  the 
Indre  that  flow  all  about  Azay-le-Rideau. 

Looking  upon  this  chateau  and  what  is  about  it 
on  one  of  those  days  of  autumn  sunshine,  the  first 
and  almost  overpowering  effect  is  that  of  color  so 
exquisitely  harmonized,  so  often  repeated  in  note 
after  note  of  the  same  chord,  that  for  a  while  one 
cannot  think  of  any  other  beauty.  But  afterward 
a  beauty  of  form  is  found  that  is  in  harmony  with 
the  color  charm.  The  building  is  exquisitely  propor- 
tioned. It  has  the  same  dignity  of  restfulness  that 
is  in  a  perfectly  modelled  statue.  There  is  another 
charm  of  form  that  comes  from  the  gabled  windows 
different  in  height,  and  the  rich  sculptures  about 
them. 

Thus  the  whole  picture  is  gradually  unfolded, 
and  when  it  has  been  enjoyed  as  a  whole  comes  the 
pleasure  of  seeking  out  the  beautiful  things  in  the 
detailed  work  all  about  the  building.  The  orna- 
ment everywhere  is  as  rich  as  it  can  be  without  inter- 
fering with  the  general  effect.  In  making  his  orna- 
ment subservient  to  his  lines,  the  architect  of  Azay-le- 
Rideau  agreed  with  the  Gothic  builders,  but  there 
is  no  other  suggestion  of  Gothic  here. 

When  the  picture  of  this  place  as  a  whole  and  in 
its  detail  has  been  enjoyed,  admired,  studied  perhaps, 


CHENONCEAUX   AND   AZAY-LE-RIDEAU  133 

there  comes  a  thought  about  the  river.  Why  does  it 
wind  about  the  walls  of  this  stately  home  ?  It  must 
be  because  the  feudal  way  of  building  here  had  not 
only  its  suggestion  of  tower  or  machicolation  modi- 
fied and  made  into  ornamental  forms,  but  also  had  to 
do  with  the  choice  of  site;  for  the  river  would  have 
served  for  a  moat  in  mediseval  days,  and  when  it  did 
not  flow  of  itself  it  would  still  be  able  to  fill  a  moat 
if  one  was  needed. 

The  rivers  and  the  hills  determined  the  site  of 
many  a  castle  in  Touraine.  In  these  that  were  built 
later  than  the  ancient  strongholds,  the  beauty  of  the 
water  was  counted  upon  as  much  as  its  defensive 
use.  The  architect  knew  that  the  natural  mirror 
of  a  placid  stream  would  double  the  charm  of  his 
building.  It  does  more  than  that,  for  reflection  in 
water  is  not  mere  repetition.  There  is  something 
dreamy  about  the  way  it  gives  back  its  thought  of 
all  that  is  about  it. 

The  lines  are  reversed  and  there  is  almost  always 
a  little  movement  that  softens  the  outlines,  melting 
them  into  an  indistinctness,  an  ever-changing  uncer- 
tainty, delicious  to  an  artist  or  a  poet. 

For  this  reason,  as  well  as  because  of  the  beauty 
of  the  building  itself,  the  view  of  Azay-le-Rideau 
from  the  side  of  the  Indre  opposite  the  gate  of  en- 
trance seems  to  me  one  of  the  most  beautiful  views 


134        CHEN  ONCE  AUX   AND   AZAY-LE-RIDEAU 

of  a  perfect  building,  perfectly  situated,  that  can  be 
seen  in  all  the  world. 

And  when  one  wanders  through  the  park,  follow- 
ing paths  shaded  by  great  forest  trees,  and  here  and 
there  crossing  the  river  on  a  picturesque  bridge 
catching  almost  at  every  turn  some  glimpse  through 
the  leaves  of  the  white  chateau,  the  blue  turret  tops, 
the  green  lawn,  the  balustrade  with  its  crimson 
vine,  the  whole  scene  takes  a  place  quite  its  own. 
There  is  but  one  Azay-le-Rideau. 

No  wonder  this  was  a  home  for  pleasure,  and  when 
the  kings  and  the  nobles  came  here,  as  they  often 
did,  it  was  for  rest  and  relaxation.  Their  sterner 
work  was  not  done  here. 

Here,  doubtless,  the  charm  of  woman  was  supreme, 
but  there  is  no  one  woman  so  closely  associated 
with  Azay-le-Rideau  as  was  the  case  in  several  of 
the  other  famous  castles. 

Francis  I.  and  Louis  XIV.  often  came  here,  and  it 
is  easy  to  imagine  they  must  have  brought  charming 
company  with  them. 

The  historical  associations  of  the  chateau  are  more 
connected  with  Francis  I.  than  any  other  of  the 
French  kings. 

This  pleasure-loving  but  most  able  king  had  more 
to  do  with  the  building  of  the  French  chateaux  of 
this  time  than  any  one  else.     Not  only  did  he  build 


CHENONCEAUX   AND    AZAY-LE-RIDEAU  135 

new  ones,  but  he  remodelled  some  of  the  others. 
Tliere  are  many  traces  of  him  at  Azay-le-Rideau, 
both  without  and  within.  Above  the  main  entrance 
are  beautifully  carved  his  salamander  and  the  ermine 
of  Claude  of  Brittany,  his  wife.  Over  the  chimney- 
piece  in  the  library,  which  is  a  very  beautiful  work 
of  sculptural  art,  the  arms  of  Francis  are  carved. 
There  is  a  room  called  the  "  Chamber  of  the  Kings," 
where  the  monarchs  slept  when  they  came  to  Azay- 
le-Rideau. 

In  this  room  was  once  a  fine  portrait  of  Catherine 
de'  Medici  by  Clouet,  but  this  has  now  been  hung  in 
one  of  the  rooms  on  the  second  floor.  The  collection 
of  pictures  here  is  very  large  and  extremely  interest- 
ing, but  unfortunately  the  ordinarj^  visitor  is  allowed 
but  little  time  to  see  it,  for  the  chateau  now  belongs 
to  the  Marquis  de  Biencourt,  and  it  is  only  by  his 
courtesy  that  visitors  can  enter  at  all. 

Even  in  the  short  time  one  has  to  look  at  the  pict- 
ures a  great  impression  is  produced  by  them.  Fran- 
cis I.,  Calvin,  Mary  Stuart,  Henry  IL,  Charles  IX., 
Marguerite  of  Navarre,  the  venerable  Coligny,  the 
Maid  of  Orleans,  Anne  of  Austria  still  striving  to  be 
beautiful,  and  showing  off  the  "  fairest  hand  and  arm 
in  France" — all  these  are  here,  and  there  are  many 
more  beside  them. 

The  house  is  full  of  the  portraits  of   noble   and 


136         CHENONCEAUX   AND   AZAY-LE-RIDEAU 

distinguished  people.  If  they  stepped  down  from 
their  frames,  they  would  make  a  goodly  company 
indeed,  as  they  walked  about  th®  halls  of  the  castle 
or  wandered  beneath  the  trees  of  the  park  by  the 
river-side.  Many  of  them  were  great  people,  but 
even  royalty  has  seldom  found  a  more  charming 
home  than  this  many-towered  white  mansion  by  the 
banks  of  the  Indre. 

At  Chenonc«aux  historical  association  plays  so 
prominent  a  part  that  it  should  be  spoken  of  even 
before  the  castle  itself  is  described.  This  was  the 
home  of  Diane  de  Poitiers,  one  of  the  most  remark- 
able women  in  all  French  history.  It  was  not  built 
by  her,  although  she  added  largely  to  it.  Thomas 
Bohier  and  Catherine  Bri^onnet  were  the  originators 
of  it.  Bohier  should  have  finished  it,  for  he  gave 
money  and  pains  enough  toward  building  it,  but  he 
became  a  bankrupt,  and  his  family  were  bankrupts 
also — all  involved  in  the  one  misfortune.  Then  the 
property  was  forfeited  to  the  crown. 

When  Henry  II.  came  to  the  throne  he  gave  this 
chateau  to  Diane  de  Poitiers,  who  had  long  coveted 
it.  She  used  to  come  here  on  hunting-parties  from 
Plessis-les-Tours,  riding  with  the  young  Dauphin  in 
the  gay  train  of  Francis  I.  It  is  natural  to  think  of 
this  famous  favorite  as  a  devotee  of  pleasure,  but 
although  very  beautiful,  she  was  hard  and  cold  and 


CHENONCEAUX   AND   AZAY-LE-RIDEAU  137 

calculating;  extremely  avaricious,  and  losing  no 
opportunity  to  enrich  herself,  no  matter  at  whose 
cost. 

She  was  not  satisfied  with  the  king's  grant  of 
Chenonceaux,  but  caused  legal  proceedings  to  be 
instituted  against  the  poor  Bohiers,  witli  the  idea  of 
deriving  title  through  them.  Cnriously  enough,  she 
was  successful  in  this,  but  the  methods  of  the  courts 
must  have  been  open  to  question  as  to  their  honesty. 

It  may  truly  be  said  that  the  stain  of  stealing  and 
of  cruelty,  cruelty  that  even  pursues  its  victim  to  the 
very  death,  is  on  the  walls  of  Chenonceaux.  But 
Diane  finally  was  the  mistress  there,  and  it  became 
the  central  place  of  the  luxurious,  but  somewhat 
romantic,  life  of  the  French  court  in  one  of  the  most 
interesting  periods  in  its  history.  As  one  looks  upon 
the  exquisite  beauties  of  Chenonceaux,  it  is  not  pleas- 
ant to  think  how  Diane  became  their  owner,  but  it  is 
pleasant  to  think  that  her  ownership  was  a  short  one  ; 
for  Catherine  de'  Medici  took  it  away  from  her,  as 
soon  as  she  could  after  the  king's  death,  and  sent  her 
away  to  Chaumont,  and  then  Catherine  herself  lived 
for  a  time  at  Chenonceaux.  Other  queens  lived  there 
too.  Mary  Stuart  came  there  with  her  young  hus- 
band, Francis  II.,  and  some  of  the  happiest  months 
of  her  troubled  life  were  spent  here.  Anne  of  Aus- 
tria and  her  son  Louis  XIV.  were  here. 


138  CHENONCEAUX   AND   AZAY-LE-RIDEATJ 

One  would  have  to  mention  every  famous  warrior 
in  French  history  at  that  time,  if  the  list  were  to  be 
complete  of  those  who  loved  to  linger  in  the  beautiful 
halls  and  gardens  of  this  exquisite  chateau. 

But  not  only  kings  and  queens  were  here.  Later 
in  its  history  the  chateau  was  a  resort  for  literary 
men.  Rousseau  and  Voltaire,  Diderot,  Buffon,  many 
of  the  greatest  men  in  the  French  world  of  letters, 
were  here.  There  are  few  buildings  whose  associa- 
tions are  more  interesting  than  those  of  Chenonceaux. 

The  chateau  is  reached  throuo'h  a  loner  avenue.  It 
is  straight,  as  the  custom  is  in  France,  and  it  is  over- 
arched by  great  sycamore  trees ;  they  are  called 
plane  trees  in  France.  These  trees  are  planted  close 
together,  and  therefore  not  room  enough  is  left  for 
the  growth  of  the  lower  branches.  The  verdure  is 
all  above,  and  it  is  supported  by  the  two  rows  of  tree- 
trunk  columns  as  though  it  were  one  long  arched 
roof.  This  use  of  trees,  although  too  formal  for  the 
modern  landscape  gardener,  has  its  own  beauty,  per- 
haps rather  a  stately  dignity,  which  is  very  impres- 
sive especially  when  an  avenue  thus  treated  is  as 
broad  and  long  as  it  is  here. 

This  avenue  that  leads  to  Chenonceaux  is  guarded 
at  the  entrance  to  the  grounds  by  two  marble 
sphinxes.  In  such  choice  of  ornament  at  the  very 
gate  there  is  something  quite  suggestive  of  the  char- 


CHENONCEAUX   AND   AZAY-LE-RIDEAU  139 

acter  of  tins  famous  royal  favorite.  It  may  be  that 
Diane  herself  did  not  choose  the  subject  for  these 
statues,  and  yet  it  is  possible  and  thoroughly  in  keep- 
ing with  her  character  that  she  did.  If  she  did  not 
do  it,  some  artist  did  who  had  failed  to  read  the  riddle 
of  her  nature.  The  riddle  of  the  sphinx  is  not  harder 
to  read.  Diane  de  Poitiers  was  apparently  the  very 
source  whence  came  the  luxury  and  licentiousness 
of  a  dissolute  court,  and  yet  she  herself  was  utterly 
hard  and  passionless.  It  is  said  that  she  never  used 
the  paints  and  powders  used  too  freely  by  the  other 
ladies  of  the  court,  but  preserved  her  beauty  even  to 
old  age  by  vigorous  athletic  exercise  patiently  per- 
severed in,  and  also  by  never  allowing  herself  to  be 
disturbed  by  emotion  of  any  kind.  She  rose  early 
and  rode  on  her  horse  around  the  beautiful  park  of 
Chenonceaux,  at  the  time  of  the  sunrise.  Returning 
to  her  apartment,  she  went  again  to  her  couch  and 
"  gracefully  deshabillee  "  transacted  her  business  for 
the  day.  Later  she  came,  fresh  and  beautiful  as  ever, 
to  the  fetes  and  enjoyments  of  the  afternoon  and 
evening.  Diane  de  Poitiers  must  have  had  great 
beauty  of  form  if  Jean  Goujon's  statue  of  her  as 
'•Diana,  the  Huntress"  at  the  chateau  of  Anet  is 
true.  Probably  it  is;  for  that  great  artist  would  not 
lie  even  to  flatter,  as  many  of  them  did.  Her  beauty 
cannot  be  known  about  now,  because  the  pictures  and 


1-iO  CHENONCEAUX   AND   AZAY-LE-RIDEATJ 

statues  of  her  do  not  agree.  There  seems  to  have 
been  something  of  the  Amazon  about  her,  and  some- 
thing of  Vivien,  too,  at  the  moment  when  she  charmed 
Merlin  under  the  gnarled  oak. 

After  entering  the  gateway  and  passing  the 
sphinxes,  even  the  mysterious  Diane  is  forgotten  in 
the  beauty  of  her  home. 

First  rises  in  full  view  the  tower  of  Catherine  Bri- 
gonnet,  the  only  part  of  her  building  that  remains. 
It  is  circular  in  form  with  the  conical  top  of  the 
older  fortress-chateaux,  but  the  line  of  the  cone  is 
broken  by  a  smaller  cone  similar  in  general  outline, 
but  not  rising  so  high. 

This  tower  is  quite  detached,  and  stands  alone  at 
some  distance  from  the  portal  of  Chenonceaux.  The 
effect  of  it  is  not  only  almost  indescribably  pictur- 
esque, but  full  of  that  meaning  which  only  a  poet  can 
fitly  express.  It  seems  like  a  sentry  left  by  ages  past 
to  watch  the  castle  gate,  and  there  is  a  sadness  in  its 
loneliness  because  the  watch  it  kept  was  in  vain.  It 
could  not  prevent  the  entrance  here  of  what  was 
unseemly,  what  would  have  been  utterly  abhorrent 
to  the  thought  of  Catherine  BriQonnet. 

But  what  this  solitary  tower  guards,  and  even 
frowns  upon,  is  far  lovelier  than  itself,  though  not 
so  strong.  It  is  the  chateau  of  Chenonceaux  —  one 
of  the  few  buildings  in  the  w^orld  absolutely  unique, 


CHENONCEAUX   AND   AZAY-LE-RIDEAU  141 

because  it  has  little  or  no  resemblance  to  any  other, 
even  of  those  that  were  built  in  the  same  time  and 
with  an  effort  at  the  same  effect. 

The  beauty  of  the  building  is  so  delicate,  so  charm- 
ing, that  it  seems  like  a  realized  dream.  What  dream 
might  that  have  been?  Possibly  a  thought  of  old 
French  forts ;  but  that  would  only  have  lasted  a  min- 
ute. Possibly  something  of  the  luxury  and  splen- 
dor of  the  Alhambra.  That  thought  would  have 
lasted  longer  ;  but  even  that  is  not  all  that  might 
be  dreamed  about  here.  A  castle  that  is  built  on 
arches  over  a  river  is  so  rarely  seen  that  it  makes 
any  student  of  architecture  wonder  what  was  the 
impelling  motive  in  the  building  of  it. 

Chenonceaux  is  built  across  the  Cher.  A  part  of 
it  is  on  one  bank,  a  part  on  the  other ;  the  long  gal- 
lery connecting  the  two  is  on  the  arches  over  the 
river.  Though  built  in  this  most  singular  way,  the 
effect  is  not  unlike  that  of  Azay-le-Rideau.  There 
is  the  same  brilliant  white  of  the  stone,  the  same 
deep  blue  of  the  turret-cones,  and  there  are  the 
sculptured  windows  and  the  fine  roof  line,  most 
artistically  broken  here  and  there  by  the  tower  or 
the  gable  over  a  window. 

It  is  rather  interesting  to  think  that  the  construc- 
tion of  a  building  which  was  in  itself  almost  an 
expression  of  the  luxury  of  kings  should  have  been 


142  CHENONCEAUX   AND   AZAY-LE-RIDEAU 

determined  by  the  presence  of  a  mill  on  the  Cher 
bank.  The  river  turned  the  mill-wheel,  the  grain 
was  ground,  there  was  food  for  the  rich  and  the 
poor;  but  the  foundations  of  the  old  mill  supported 
later,  long  after  its  stones  had  ceased  to  grind,  the 
palace  that  bridges  the  Cher.  It  was  not  well  that 
the  work  of  the  mill  should  be  stopped.  A  little 
later  in  French  history  the  kings  themselves  would 
have  been  glad  enough  if  the  mills  would  give  the 
people  flour  for  their  bread. 

Diane  de  Poitiers  used  these  mill  foundations  for 
her  great  gallery.  Catherine  de'  Medici  added  to 
the  building  which  Diane  had  begun. 

The  Cher  is  quite  a  broad  river  here,  and  there- 
fore the  galleries  that  cross  it  upon  the  stone  arches 
are  long.  From  every  window  in  them  is  a  view 
up  and  down  of  the  river  and  the  meadows,  the 
noble  trees,  the  vineyards,  and  the  sloping  hillsides 
that  come  down  to  the  river's  bank. 

But  Diane  de  Poitiers  was  not  content  even  with 
such  loveliness  as  this.  She  had  to  have  a  garden, 
and  she  meant  it  to  be  unrivalled.  It  was  an  Italian 
garden,  surrounded  by  the  carved  stone  balustrades 
so  familiar  both  in  French  and  Italian  pictures.  To 
its  beauty  the  best  gardeners  of  France  gave  of  their 
skill,  and  in  its  day  it  was  thought  to  be  without  a 
peer.     Now  it  seems,  stiff  and  formal  in  its  arrange- 


CHENONCEAUX   AND   AZAY-LE-RIDEAU  143 

ment,  because  landscaj)e-gardeiiing  has  become  a  dif- 
ferent and  a  far  more  beautiful  art  in  these  days. 

The  situation  of  this  garden  was  chosen  with  per- 
fect taste,  because  from  its  walks  and  terraces  can 
be  obtained  the  most  exquisite  views  of  the  chateau 
and  the  park  about  it,  and  the  river  flowing  in  the 
midst  and  repeating  in  its  clear  mirror  every  line  of 
arch  and  turret,  every  color  of  tree,  and  meadow 
flower,  and  vine. 

From  here  the  roof  of  Chenonceaux  can  best  be 
studied.  I  doubt  if  there  is  a  more  beautiful  roof  in 
the  world.  It  is  high  pitched.  The  cones  of  the 
turret-tops  are  not  far  above  the  cornice,  and  there- 
fore they  are  relieved  against  the  roof  itself.  The 
chimneys,  which  are  richly  carved,  spring  directly 
from  the  roof  with  most  charming  variety  of  position 
and  grouping. 

What  a  picture  it  must  have  been  when  Henry  II. 
and  Diane  de  Poitiers,  and  all  the  courtiers  in  their 
gorgeous  costumes,  walked  in  this  garden  by  the 
river,  with  the  beauty  of  the  castle  just  beyond.  A 
Watteau  or  a  Monticelli  would  have  loved  to  paint 
such  a  scene.  Isabey's  palette  of  flaming  colors 
might  have  rendered  it  even  better. 

At  one  time  Chenonceaux  must  have  been  nearly 
as  beautiful  within  as  it  was  without.  The  rooms 
were   large   and   finely  proportioned,  and   the  long 


144  CHENONCEAUX   AND    AZAY-LE-RIDEAU 

gallery  over  the  river  was  a  very  uncommon  and 
interesting  feature,  especially  when  ornamented  as 
it  once  was  by  superb  statues, —  antiques  most  of 
them,  —  and  by  many  fine  pictures.  Beside  all  this, 
the  walls  of  the  rooms  were  hung  with  the  richest 
tapestry.  There  were  heavy,  soft  curtains  over  the 
doors,  and  the  more  stately  rooms  were  adorned 
with  armor  and  weapons,  coats  of  arms  and  all 
those  splendidly  decorative  things  that  belong  to 
the  feudal  days. 

Now,  alas!  it  is  all  very  different.  Most  of  the 
fine  works  of  art  have  been  taken  away  and  sold  to 
pay  the  debts  the  owners  of  the  castle  owed  to  the 
state.  There  has  been  some  attempt  at  restoration 
of  these  rooms  and  halls  that  in  other  days  were  so 
beautiful,  but,  unfortunately,  most  of  this  work  is  in 
bad  taste. 

Only  a  small  part  of  the  interior  is  now  shown  to 
visitors.  Mary  Stuart's  room  was  not  opened  to  us 
at  all,  and  I  could  only  catch  a  hasty  glimpse  of  the 
apartment  of  Catherine  de'  Medici  —  a  sombre  room 
with  heavy  panelling,  whose  atmosphere  seemed  quite 
in  keeping  with  the  character  of  its  occupant.  What 
room  in  the  cliateau  the  fair  Diane  herself  habitually 
used  as  a  sleeping-room  I  could  not  find  out. 

But  the  interior  on  the  whole  is  not  as  interesting 
as  that  of   Azay-le-Rideau  —  nor  is  it  comparable  in 


CHENONCEAUX   AND    AZAY-LE-KIDEAU  145 

charm  to  that  of  Langeais,  which  is  perhaps  the  most 
delightful  of  all  the  Touraine  chateaux  so  far  as  its 
interior  is  concerned,  although  it  has  not  such  asso- 
ciations with  the  most  brilliant  days  of  French  history 
as  has  Chenonceaux. 

In  the  evening  the  train  slowly  returns  to  Tours, 
and  as  we  wait  for  its  long-deferred  arrival,  there  is 
plenty  of  leisure  time  in  which  one  may  reflect  upon 
the  singular  beauty  of  the  chateau  and  its  surround- 
ings, and  also  upon  the  extraordinary  character  of 
the  woman  who  was  so  long  its  inspiring  spirit. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

CHINON 

The  churches  and  the  chateaux  of  mediseval 
France  are  closely  connected  in  their  history.  There 
is  also  a  religious  spirit  in  both  of  them.  It  seems 
strange  even  to  speak  of  religion  in  the  same  breath 
with  the  stories  about  what  has  been  done  in  these 
old  castles,  and  yet  the  fact  is  that  war,  religion,  and 
sensuality  are  most  curiously  interwoven  in  the  story 
of  them  all. 

To  the  lover  of  history  the  castle  of  Chinon  is 
more  interesting  than  any  other  in  the  region  of  old 
Touraine,  not  because  its  historical  associations  are 
more  numerous,  but  because  they  are  centralized 
about  the  most  interesting  figure  in  French  history  — 
one  of  the  most  interesting  in  all  history  —  Joan  of 
Arc,  the  maid  of  Domr^my.  It  was  at  Chinon  that 
she  had  her  first  interview  with  Charles  VII.,  and 
therefore  it  is  the  thought  of  her  more  than  of  all 
the  other  great  people  who  came  to  Chinon  that 
inspires   this   place,   filling   it   with   a   spirit   higher 

UQ 


CHiNOisr  147 

and  more  lovely  than  that  of  any  other  castle  in 
France. 

But  Chinon  was  an  old  castle  when  she  came  to  it. 
It  is  very  closely  associated  with  the  Plantagenet 
kings,  for  it  was  a  stronghold  of  Henry  II.  of  England, 
and  here  he  died.  Richard  Coeur  de  Lion  and  the 
other  sons  of  Henry  were  all  here,  and  some  of  the 
most  tragic  scenes  between  the  king  and  his  unruly 
sons  took  place  at  Chinon.  When  Henry  died  here, 
almost  with  his  last  breath  he  cursed  the  sons  whom 
he  said  had  killed  him.  At  this  chateau  English  and 
French  history  are  more  closely  linked  together  than 
at  any  other  castle  in  France. 

Chinon  is  situated  on  a  high  hill  which  overlooks 
the  valley  of  the  Vienne.  The  castle  was  once  of 
vast  extent,  but  is  now  a  ruin.  Only  enough  re- 
mains of  its  towers  and  walls  to  show  where  it  stood, 
and  to  trace  with  some  apjjroach  to  certainty  the 
general  arrangement  of  its  halls  and  rooms,  its  ram- 
parts, magazines  and  dungeons,  and  also  its  chapel. 
Before  gunpowder  was  invented  the  castle  was 
thought  to  be  impregnable ;  for  the  hill  on  which 
it  stands  is  very  steep  and  high  on  three  sides,  and 
on  the  fourth  side  a  deep  chasm  was  artificially 
made  that  completely  isolates  it.  The  walls  were 
very  lofty  and  strong,  and  the  massive  towers  rose 
far  above  these,  thus  giving  means  of  defence  that 


148  CHINON 

in  feudal  days  could  not  be  overcome.  The  town 
clusters  about  the  base  of  the  hill  far  below  the 
castle  walls,  but  it  climbs  up  as  far  as  it  can  toward 
the  strong  protector  above. 

There  are  spires  among  these  high-pitched  roofs 
of  blue  slate  which  seem  almost  like  spires  them- 
selves. Where  these  spires  rise  were,  and  still  are, 
the  churches ;  and  they  are  the  very  churches  that 
were  there  in  the  time  of  Joan  of  Arc.  When  the 
inspired  peasant  girl  climbed  the  steep  path  that 
led  to  the  castle,  she  must  have  looked  down  upon 
just  such  a  town  as  is  there  to-day;  and  she  could 
see  the  church  where  she  prayed  before  she  went 
to  see  the  king,  and  perhaps  the  house  of  the  widow 
who  sheltered  her  when  she  came  to  Chinon  and 
waited  until  she  could  see  Charles  VII. 

It  may  be  that  when  she  reached  the  height  where 
the  castle  stands,  she  looked  farther  than  the  town, 
beyond  its  roof  and  its  spires,  and  rested  for  a 
moment,  —  even  although  she  was  going  to  see  the 
king  with  the  purpose  of  delivering  him  from  his 
foes,  —  that  she  might  look  upon  the  glorious  land- 
scape below  and  all  about  the  hill  of  the  castle, 
reaching  even  to  the  far  horizon.  If  she  did,  then, 
look  upon  this  lovely  land,  her  heart  must  have 
thrilled  again  with  patriotic  ardor,  and  she  must 
have  once  more  vowed  to  deliver  this  sunny,  fertile 


CHINON  149 

heritasfe  of  the  kincjs  of  France  from  the  strangrer 
and  the  oppressor.  It  is  now,  and  it  was  then,  a 
land  of  vineyards  and  orchards,  of  growing  grain,  and 
of  noble  forests.  Then  as  now  the  sparkling  stream  of 
the  Vienne  came  rippling  down  the  valley  from  so 
far  away  that  its  bright  water  seemed  to  touch  the 
brighter  sky  ere  it  left  it  to  come  hither.  Passing 
beneath  majestic  bridges  with  many  stone  arches, 
the  Vienne  seems  to  linger  long,  serenely  content 
beneath  the  hill  of  Chinon.  Reluctantly  passing 
the  great  castle,  as  though  it  were  loath  to  leave  it, 
it  passes  beneath  more  stone  arches,  and  wanders 
amid  more  fields,  until  at  last  —  a  thread  of  silver  — 
it  is  lost  again  in  the  bright  sky  from  which  it  came. 
In  all  its  long  wanderings  it  was  everywhere  a 
blessing ;  for  the  vines  grew  beside  it,  and  the  trees 
bent  over  to  kiss  it,  and  the  meadows  throbbed  with 
more  living  green  beneath  its  touch.  Beyond  the 
valley  rose  low  hills  that  encircled  it,  and  these 
were  partly  vine  clad,  and  sometimes  their  slopes 
were  yellow  with  the  ripening  grain.  Some  of  them 
were  dark  with  the  shade  of  great  trees.  Here  and 
there  the  sentry  poplars  guarded  the  ways  that  went 
from  one  happy  hamlet  to  another,  each  with  its  church 
spire.  So  far  away  were  the  broad  fields  one  after 
the  other,  and  the  low  hills  that  were  about  them,  so 
long  was  the  course  of  the  bright  river  from  where 


150  CHINON 

it  left  the  sky  far  away  to  where  it  joined  it  again, 
that  this  hand  lying  here  with  one  charm  after  an- 
other to  delight  the  eye  and  lead  it  even  to  the 
horizon,  seems  in  itself  a  kingdom,  a  great  domain 
where  people  might  dwell  peacefully,  and  for  whose 
safety  one  miglit  be  content  to  die,  if  sacrifice  of  life 
were  needed  to  preserve  its  homes  and  fields. 

Upon  this  scene  looked  Joan  of  Arc  when  she 
stood  before  the  bridge  that  leads  across  the  moat 
to  the  lofty  Tour  de  I'Horloge.  This  high  tower 
with  machicolated  battlements,  with  pinnacle  at 
one  end  and  turret  at  the  other,  is  still  standing 
more  perfectly  preserved  than  anything  else  which 
now  remains  of  the  ancient  castle.  Here  the 
soldiers  used  to  work  the  portcullis,  and  there  is 
still  a  narrow  slit  in  the  wall  through  which  tliey 
looked  to  see  who  was  there  before  they  would 
give  admittance,  and  through  this  slit  still  looks 
the  concierge  to  see  what  visitors  approach.  Here 
stood  the  peasant  girl  of  Domr^my  while  the 
soldiers  looked  at  her  ere  they  raised  the  portcullis 
and  let  the  drawbridge  down.  It  must  have  been 
a  strange  moment,  one  of  deep  import  even  in  the 
life  of  one  who  was  accustomed  to  what  was  won- 
derful, what  she  herself  thought  to  be  supernatural, 
because  if  the  bridge  was  lowered  and  the  portcullis 
raised,  she  would  soon  stand  in  the  presence  of  the 


CHINON"  151 

king  of  France,  and  all  that  she  had  seen  in  her 
visions  would  begin  to  take  on  its  earthly  form. 

The  great  hall  in  which  Joan  of  Arc  met  the 
king  was  in  the  Chateau  du  Milieu,  a  part  of  the 
castle  that  immediately  adjoins  the  Tour  de 
I'Horloge.  This  was  not  the  part  built  by  the 
English  Plantagenet  kings,  which  was  called  the 
castle  and  chapel  of  St.  George.  This  English 
part  was  built  to  defend  the  one  weak  point  of 
Chinon,  the  only  place  where  its  natural  hill 
defence  was  not  complete.  All  that  the  English 
had  built  was  behind  the  Maid  of  Orleans  when 
she  passed  beneath  the  portcullis  in  the  Tour  de 
THorloge  and  entered  the  great  courtyard  of  the 
castle.  What  was  before  her  was  the  French 
building,  and  it  was  there  that  the  French  king 
was  holding  his  courts.  There  in  lazy,  luxurious 
idleness  his  time  was  spent,  nor  did  he  like  to 
leave,  even  for  a  time,  the  caresses  of  his  favorite 
to  listen  to  one  who  came  to  tell  him  of  the  woes 
of  France  and  to  nerve  him  to  such  action  as 
midit  redress  them. 

Truly  the  French  part  of  the  castle  was  before 
her  and  the  English  part  behind.  Truly  at  that 
moment  the  English  page  of  French  history  was 
turned  and  the  French  one  opened. 

There    is   very   little   left   of    the    great    hall   at 


152  CHINON 

Chinon  where  Joan  of  Arc  had  her  interview  with 
Charles  VII.  One  gabled  end  there  is,  and  to  this 
is  still  attached  at  the  height  of  the  first  floor  the 
chimneypiece  before  which  their  interview  must 
have  taken  place.  Even  this  is  partly  in  ruins, 
but  enough  remains  to  show  its  general  form  and 
appearance.  The  kitchen,  the  armory,  and  the 
common  hall,  or  living  room,  were  beneath  the 
grand  hall  of  the  king.  Nothing  remains  of  any 
of  these  except  fragments  of  walls  and  foundations 
by  which  the  general  outline  and  arrangement  can 
be  traced.  All  of  these  rooms  were  on  the  side  of 
the  castle  facing  the  Vienne  and  its  valley,  and 
from  every  window  could  be  had  that  glorious  view 
of  river  and  field,  valley  and  hill  slopes,  of  which  I 
have  already  spoken.  One  of  the  fairest  provinces 
of  France  was  at  the  feet  of  the  king  and  the  maid 
as  they  talked,  and  it  must  have  seemed  to  reach 
forth  supplicating  hands  to  them  entreating  them  to 
save  it  from  the  oppression  of  the  stranger. 

Joan  of  Arc  stayed  at  Chinon  more  than  a 
month,  and  while  there  she  was  lodged  in  the 
Tour  du  Coudray.  This  tower  is  a  part  of  the 
old  fort  of  Coudray,  which  was  the  farthest  west 
of  the  three  fortresses  that  crowned  the  hill.  It 
was  one  of  the  inner  towers,  and  did  not  command 
the    same   magnificent  view  as   the   towers    on    the 


CHINON  153 

valley  side  of  the  fortress.  Originally,  it  was  a 
lofty  tower  with  three  stories  of  rooms  in  it.  The 
upper  part  is  in  ruins,  but  the  room  of  the  maid 
remains  much  as  it  was,  and  the  staircase  leading 
to  the  upper  room  also  occupied  by  her  is  partly 
preserved. 

Not  very  far  from  this  tower  are  the  ruins  of 
the  chapel  of  St.  Martin,  where  Joan  of  Arc 
prayed  after  her  interviews  with  the  king.  It  is 
said  that  her  supplications  here  were  long  and 
fervent,  and  they  seem  to  have  been  greatly 
needed;  for  it  was  very  hard  to  arouse  the  slug- 
gish, pleasure-loving  king.  He  did  not  want  to 
fight;  he  wanted  to  enjoy  himself.  Little  he 
thought  about  France;  much  he  thought  about  the 
favorites  who  surrounded  him.  It  seems  almost  a 
miracle  that  he  ever  was  aroused  from  this  lazy, 
luxurious  life,  and  that  he  did  at  last  give  the 
peasant  maiden  her  armor,  put  her  white  banner 
in  her  hand,  and  follow  her  to  battle.  How  those 
who  lived  in  that  licentious  court  must  have  felt 
when  they  looked  upon  this  pure  maiden,  who 
was  a  living  rebuke  to  them !  How  they  must 
have  slandered  her  to  the  weak  king,  a  voluptuary 
himself  and  quite  willing  to  lend  his  ear  to  any 
tale  of  scandal !  It  is  no  wonder  that  Joan  of  Arc 
had   to  pray  for  a   month   in   St.    Martin's   chapel. 


154  CHINON 

The  wonder  is  that  at  last  she  was  permitted  to 
go  in  her  king's  name,  bearing  his  banner,  to  rescue 
his  country  and  hers,  and  to  turn  backward  the  tide 
of  English  invasion  which  had  well  nigh  overflowed 
all  the  land  of  France. 

EnouQ-h  remains  of  the  ruins  of  Chinon  to  tell 
what  Joan  of  Arc's  life  must  have  been  during  the 
month  she  dwelt  there.  It  requires  but  little  imag- 
ination to  rebuild  the  walls  and  towers,  even  the 
chanel,  and  to  people  them  again  with  the  characters 
so  well  known  in  history,  among  whom  she  moved 
during  her  stay  in  the  castle. 

In  all  France  there  is  no  more  fascinating  place  in 
which  to  linger  and  to  dream.  I  might  not  be  wrong 
if  I  called  it  a  sacred  place.  It  is  now  a  shrine  since 
Joan  of  Arc  may  be  called  to  be  a  saint  by  the 
Roman  Church.  But  this  religious  inspiration  is  not 
all  of  the  spirit  of  it.  The  glorious  landscape  has  its 
part  also. 

Passing  from  the  great  hall  along  the  ramparts 
and  coming  to  the  Tour  de  Boissy  and  the  Tour  du 
Moulin,  this  wonderful  view  is  seen  in  ever-changing 
lights.  Sometimes  a  part  of  it  is  framed  in  a  ruined 
window.  Sometimes  but  a  little  can  be  seen  through 
some  narrow  opening  used  by  the  archers.  Again  from 
a  tower-top  the  whole  vast  prospect  bursts  upon  the 
astonished  eye.     The  rush  of  thought  and  feeling  at 


CHINON  155 

once  becomes  bewildering.  There  is  so  deep  an  im- 
pression upon  the  mind  and  the  senses  at  the  same 
time  that  one  knows  not  whether  to  shut  his  eyes  and 
go  back  in  thought  to  the  intrepid  maid,  or  open  them 
and  look  upon  one  of  the  fairest  landscapes  of  earth. 

By  the  Tour  d'Argenton,  another  of  the  great 
towers  upon  Chinon's  walls,  is  a  secret  passage  that 
led  from  the  king's  apartments  to  those  of  Agnes 
Sorel.  This  remarkable  woman  completed  the  work 
which  Joan  of  Arc  did  not  live  to  finish. 

Agnes  Sorel  was  one  among  the  many  famous 
women  who  have  had  so  great  an  influence  upon  the 
development  of  France  as  a  nation.  It  is  true  that 
she  was  the  king's  mistress,  but  it  is  also  true  that 
she  inspired  him  to  do  the  best  and  noblest  things 
he  ever  did  in  his  life.  She  sent  him  to  battle.  He 
left  her  to  seek  salvation  for  France  and  honor  for 
himself.  To  the  inspiration  of  her  words,  the  magic 
of  hei'  presence,  the  wisdom  of  her  counsels,  must  be 
attributed,  in  a  large  degree,  the  success  of  Charles 
VII.  In  finishing  the  work  Joan  of  Arc  began. 

This  woman  was  very  beautiful.  She  was  called 
"  La  Belle  des  Belles,"  —  the  very  queen  of  beauty, 
—  and  her  nature  seems  to  have  been  as  lovely  as  her 
person,  for  she  was  greatly  revered  by  the  poor  and 
reverenced  by  the  nuns  and  monks,  whose  churches 
and  convents  she  munificently  endowed. 


156  CHINON 

The  ruined  halls  and  towers  of  Chinon  are  becom- 
ing more  and  more  thickly  peopled  with  those  re- 
nowned in  history  ;  but  there  are  many  more  to  come 
beside  these  who  hold  the  chief  place  in  the  castle's 
story. 

Louis  XI.  was  here.  Philippe  de  Commines  was 
at  Chinon.  One  of  the  last  scenes  in  the  time  of 
the  castle's  glory  was  the  entry  of  Ctesar  Borgia. 
He  brought  the  cardinal's  hat  for  Georges  d'Am- 
boise,  and  he  was  well  paid  for  doing  it.  In  history, 
as  in  life,  extremes  meet  sometimes.  How  can  one 
think  of  Joan  of  Arc  and  Csesar  Borgia  under  the 
same  roof  ?  They  were  there  at  different  times,  but 
Chinon  sheltered  both  of  them  for  many  days. 

After  the  Prince  of  Conde,  one  of  the  last  of  those 
who  dwelt  at  Chinon,  the  chateau  was  given  to  Riche- 
lieu. He  had  so  many  castles  that  he  could  not  live 
in  all  of  them,  and  for  some  reason  Chinon  did  not 
please  him,  and  he  let  it  fall  into  decay  and  ruin. 
There  never  lias  been  any  attempt  at  restoration  in 
Chinon.  There  is  not  enough  left  of  it  to  make 
possible  such  work  as  has  been  done  at  Carcassonne 
and  Mont  St.  Michel.  But  for  many  years  before 
its  massive  masonry  crumbles  to  dust  it  will  be 
eloquent  of   its  story. 

The  two  great  towers  of  the  castle  are  the  Tour  de 
Boissy   and   the    Tour   du   Moulin.      The    windmill 


CHINON  157 

tower  is  very  curious,  partly  because  of  its  singular 
construction  with  double,  apparently  disconnected 
tiers  of  arches  inside,  and  partly  because  of  its 
position  at  the  very  end  of  the  Chateau  du  Milieu, 
where  it  would  be  more  exposed  to  danger,  in  case 
of  an  attack,  than  any  other  part  of  the  castle.  It 
is  strange  to  have  a  windmill  on  a  fortress  wall,  but 
it  is  stranger  yet  to  have  it  in  a  place  where  it  might 
so  easily  be  destroyed. 

There  are  many  old  Roman  statues,  little  figures, 
fragments,  in  this  Tour  du  Moulin,  quite  enough  to 
show  that  the  Romans  used  the  place  as  a  stronghold. 

The  Tour  de  Boissy  had  once  a  conical  roof  like 
the  other  towers  of  the  old  French  castles,  but  this 
has  now  disappeared  and  a  flat  roof  of  stone  and  lead 
has  taken  its  place.  From  the  top  of  this  tow^er  can 
be  had  one  of  the  finest  views  of  the  old  castle  itself, 
and  also  of  the  magnificent  landscape  of  the  valley  of 
the  Vienne. 

Following  from  this  tow^er  the  line  of  the  walls, 
one  comes  to  the  entrance  to  the  dungeons,  of  which 
there  were  many,  tier  below  tier,  clear  down  to  the 
level  of  the  valley.  A  dungeon  is  an  article  which 
was  in  great  demand  in  the  days  when  the  French 
castles  were  built,  and  most  of  them  had  a  large 
and  choice  assortment  of  them.  There  were  also 
oubliettes  at  Chinon  more  terrible  than  the  dungeons. 


158  CHINON 

perhaps,  altliough   the    lingering    torture    might   be 
worse  than  the  sudden  plunge  to  death. 

There  is  one  more  tower  on  Chinon's  walls,  —  the 
Tour  des  Chiens,  where  the  king  kept  his  hounds.  It 
has  no  architectural  beauty,  and  there  is  very  little  of 
interest  in  it.  Near  this  tower  is  the  chapel  of  St. 
Melaine,  in  which  Henry  II.  died.  As  his  end  drew 
near,  he  was  borne  to  this  chapel  that  he  might  die 
before  the  altar. 

So  many  pictures  from  the  past  had  been  before  us 
during  our  day  at  Chinon  that  it  was  as  delightful 
as  it  was  unexpected  to  see  one  from  the  present. 

As  we  stood  in  the  Tour  de  I'Horloge,  just  above 
the  gateway  through  wliich  Joan  of  Arc  entered, 
there  came  a  sound  of  merry  voices  from  below. 
Looking  down  from  the  tower  window,  we  saw  a 
bridal  procession  coming  up  the  steep  path  toward 
the  castle.  It  was  led  by  the  bride  and  the  bride- 
groom, and  the  guests  followed  them.  The  concierge 
left  us  at  once  and  went  down  to  open  the  door  for 
this  gay  party.  When  she  came  back  we  asked  her 
why  the  brides  came  to  Chinon,  and  she  answered 
that  it  was  a  custom,  a  habit  of  many  years,  even  cen- 
turies perhaps,  for  those  just  married  to  come  with 
their  friends  and  dance  upon  the  smooth  stone  floor 
that  is  now  the  top  of  the  Tour  de  Boissy.  I  asked 
her  why  they  went  there.     She  did  not  know.     It 


CHINON  159 

was  a  custom  and  had  always  been  so  ever  since  she 
had  been  in  the  castle.  It  was  not  hard  to  discover 
the  reason  for  it.  It  was  not  because  there  is  a  glori- 
ous view  from  the  tower,  though  happy  brides  might 
find  pleasure  in  looking  upon  such  a  scene  on  their 
wedding-day.  The  reason  why  the  brides  come  here 
is  that  the  spirit  of  Joan  of  Arc  is  in  the  castle.  It 
is  here  that  her  wonderful  career  began  so  far  as  the 
king  and  his  courtiers  knew  of  it,  although  her  visions 
were  at  Domrdmy  in  the  little  orchard  by  her  home. 
What  maiden  of  France  would  not  love  to  commune 
with  the  spirit  of  Joan  of  Arc  ere  she  set  forth  on 
her  own  journey  through  life?  Toward  the  highest 
thought  of  what  life  may  be,  there  could  hardly  be 
a  more  powerful  inspiration.  The  brides  come  here 
that  they  may  learn  something  of  that  spirit  of  devo- 
tion and  self-sacrifice  which  made  a  heroine  and  a 
saint  of  a  simple  peasant  maiden. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

THE   CHATEAU   OF   BLOIS 

In  visiting  the  castles  of  Touraine  it  is  better  to 
stay  a  part  of  the  time  at  Tours  and  a  part  at  Blois, 
because  some  chateaux  are  more  easily  accessible 
from  one  place  and  some  from  the  other.  Blois  has 
a  great  advantage  over  Tours,  because  one  of  the 
greatest  of  all  the  castles  is  here.  After  seeing 
Cliinon  and  Langeais,  Chenonceaux  and  Azay-le- 
Rideau,  it  seems  scarcely  possible  that  there  could 
be  another  Touraine  castle  capable  of  giving  an  im- 
pression quite  different  from  that  produced  by  any 
of  the  others  and  in  some  ways  more  interesting  than 
any  of  them. 

Blois  is  as  overpowering  in  its  beauty,  as  thrill- 
ingly  interesting  in  its  historical  suggestions,  as  if 
there  were  no  chateau  but  itself  in  all  Touraine. 
Like  most  of  the  others,  it  has  its  ancient  history. 
The  Romans  had  a  fortified  camp  here.  Later  the 
early  counts  of  Blois  made  the  place  a  stronghold 
wherein  they  might  resist  their  enemies,  —  the  counts 

160 


PUB**'         ~  '    '  sun^       ■^-  •• 

If  ■11 1  .^r  ^.^la 


^ 

-^ 


STAIRCASE    OF    THE    CHATEAU    OF    BLOIS 


THE   CHATEAU    OF   BLOIS  161 

of  Anjou.  For  ages  what  is  now  a  chateau  was  a 
fortress. 

Its  chief  interest  and  its  beauty  do  not  come  from 
these  earlier  times.  Louis  XII.  was  the  first  king 
who  tried  to  make  Blois  beautiful.  He  built  one 
side  of  the  court  of  which  Francis  I.  built  a  second 
and  Gaston  d' Orleans  a  third. 

The  fifteenth-century  Gothic  of  Louis  XII.'s  part 
of  the  building  is  a  wonderfully  beautiful  example 
of  that  exquisite  style. 

The  entrance  to  the  castle  is  through  a  portal 
which  is  surmounted  by  an  equestrian  statue  of  this 
monarch,  man  and  horse  fully  armed  ready  for  the 
many  battles  in  Italy  wherein  the  king  took  part. 
This  statue  is  of  gray  granite,  and  the  crown  and 
armor  of  the  king  and  the  trappings  of  his  war-steed 
are  gilded.  It  is  an  ornament  most  fit  for  the  portal 
of  such  a  castle,  whose  greatness  came  from  kings 
and  queens. 

Not  princes,  or  dukes,  or  knights,  made  Blois  what 
it  is,  nor  had  any  but  the  kings  much  to  do  with  it. 
The  part  built  by  Gaston  d'Orleans  is  a  failure  in 
its  exterior,  and  within  it  is  even  worse.  Not  even 
so  great  a  duke  as  Guise  could  here  resist  the  king, 
though  murder  most  foul  alone  ended  his  attempted 
resistance. 

Even   while   looking   at   this   long   building   that 


162  THE   CHATEAU    OF   BLOIS 

Louis  XII.  built  of  brick  and  granite  with  its  perfect 
Gothic  windows,  one  above  the  other,  reaching  far 
up  toward  the  top  of  the  high-pitched  roof,  with  its 
lofty  gateway  in  the  same  beautiful  style  and  the 
martial  statue  above  it  with  its  wealth  of  carving,  — 
its  beauty  of  form  and  line, — it  is  hardly  possible  to 
think  very  much  about  it,  because  the  place  is 
haunted  by  the  sj)irit  of  the  murdered  duke,  and 
the  first  thought  is  not  of  its  beauties  but  of  the 
place  where  he  was  killed. 

Nevertheless,  the  colonnade  of  Louis  XIL's  build- 
ing has  much  to  do  with  this  tragedy.  It  extends 
from  the  wing  built  by  Francis  I.  to  the  chapel  of 
Anne  of  Brittany. 

When  Henry  IIL  and  the  Duke  de  Guise  met 
in  that  time  in  December,  1588,  a  little  before 
Christmas,  their  meeting  took  place  at  the  bottom 
of  the  great  staircase  of  Blois.  They  were  going 
to  the  mass  together  in  sign  of  friendship.  To 
reach  the  chapel  they  had  to  pass  in  front  of 
Louis  XIL's  colonnade.  The  well-known  picture 
by  Comte,  now  in  the  Luxembourg,  has  for  its  sub- 
ject this  meeting. 

The  beauty  of  this  colonnade  may  not  have  been 
noticed  by  either  of  them  at  that  time,  but  it  was 
there  then  as  it  is  now.  The  king  and  the  duke 
passed  before  its  richly  ornamented  arches  as  they 


THE   CHATEAU   OF   BLOIS  163 

went  toward  the  chapel.  In  the  combination  of 
the  domestic  and  the  religious  uses  of  Gothic  archi- 
tecture, there  are  few  things  in  the  world  more  inter- 
esting than  this  colonnade  and  the  chapel  to  which 
it  leads.  Its  suggestion  of  the  home  and  the  church 
so  closely  brouglit  together  ought  to  have  made 
Henry  III.  pause  to  think  before  he  caused  the 
Duke  de  Guise  to  be  murdered  under  his  own 
roof,  and  but  a  little  while  after  that  mass  in  the 
chapel,  which  was  to  be  a  solemn  seal  of  friend- 
ship. The  king  did  not  pause,  however,  for  even 
while  he  was  in  the  chapel  the  "forty-five,"  D'Eper- 
non's  famous  guards,  were  making  their  prepara- 
tions for  the  assassination. 

In  the  part  of  the  castle  built  by  Francis  I.  were 
the  apartments  of  Catherine  de'  Medici  and  those 
of  Henry  III.  The  queen's  were  below  those  of 
the  king.  They  have  been  restored  and  are  now 
almost  as  they  were,  except  for  the  absence  of  fur- 
niture. Enough  remained  of  the  ancient  decoration 
to  permit  of  its  perfect  restoration  by  such  a  master 
as  M.  Duban.  The  bedroom  of  the  wicked  queen 
is  a  long  apartment  with  several  windows  that  look 
out  over  the  park  and  gardens  of  the  castle,  which 
were  very  extensive  in  the  early  days  of  the  history 
of  Blois,  and  are  still  beautiful.  The  floor  of  this 
room    is   of   tile,  and   the  beams  of   the  ceiling  are 


164  THE   CHATEAU   OF   BLOIS 

profusely  ornamented  with  many  designs  in  splen- 
did color,  amid  which  appears  very  often  the  letter 
H,  the  initial  of  Henry  11.,  Catherine's  husband. 
The  crown,  too,  is  often  used  with  good  effect  in 
this  decoration.  Near  by  is  the  queen's  oratory, 
the  walls  of  which  are  panelled  and  ornamented 
with  the  most  exquisite  raised  traceries  in  gold. 
Her  private  working-room  beyond  is  similarly  orna- 
mented, and  in  these  two  small  rooms  there  are  at 
least  three  hundred  ornamental  designs,  all  exe- 
cuted in  the  same  rich  but  most  artistic  way.  It 
was  in  the  bedroom  of  this  suite  of  apartments  that 
Catherine  de'  Medici  lay  on  her  death-bed,  both 
before  and  after  the  murder  of  the  Duke  de  Guise. 
It  was  here  that  she  implored  her  son  not  to 
kill  him,  one  of  the  few  times  in  her  career  when 
her  voice  was  lifted  upon  the  side  of  mercy  and 
the  sparing  of  human  life.  But  Henry  would  not 
listen  to  her.  He  told  his  dying  mother  that  she 
had  taught  him  to  kill  his  enemies,  and  kill  them 
he  would.  What  a  strange  thing  for  a  son  to  say 
to  his  mother  on  her  death-bed !  What  a  parting 
thought  of  this  world  that  must  have  been !  And 
the  queen  writhed  in  her  agony,  and  hoped  that 
she  might  not  hear  the  fall  of  Guise's  body,  because 
that  would  tell  her  the  last  deed  of  blood  of  her 
bloody  life  had  been  done. 


THE   CHATEAU   OF   BLOIS  165 

Directly  above  the  rooms  where  the  dying  queen 
lay  are  the  apartments  that  were  then  occupied  by 
her  son,  Henry  III.     The   arrangement  of   the  two 
suites  of   apartments   is   similar,  and  both  are  gor- 
geously  decorated.      There    is    a    private   stairway 
that   connects  the  two  and  then  leads  up  from  the 
king's  apartments  to  the  roof.     It  was  in  this  stair- 
way that  D'Epernon  concealed  his  forty-five  guards- 
men.     There   were    two   private    rooms   in    Henry's 
suite  of  apartments  in  which  he  received  those  Avith 
whom  he  wished  to  confer  secretly,  and  where    he 
worked  himself  when  he  wished  to  be  quite  alone. 
One  was   the   old   cabinet  and  the  other  the   new. 
The  Duke  de  Guise  was  asked   to   go   to   the  new 
one.     In  turning  from  the  door  of  the  staircase  to 
pass  through  the  bedroom  of    King  Henry,  he  was 
attacked  from  behind  by  the  guardsmen  who  were 
concealed    in    the    stairway.      He    made   a   gallant 
struggle   for   life,   fighting    all    those    who    assailed 
him  with  wonderful  strength  and  a  spirit  that  knew 
no   fear.     At  last  he  fell  by  the  very  bed-side    of 
the  king,  and  the  queen,  almost  in  her  death  agony 
below,  heard  his  body  fall   and  knew  that  the  last 
of  her  lessons  of  bloodshed  was  carried  to  the  end 
to  which  the  others  had  been  carried. 

It  was  not  long   before    this    tragedy   that    Mary 
Stuart  and  her   husband   Francis    II.    had  occupied 


166  THE   CHATEAU   OF    BLOIS 

these  same  rooms  where  this  murder  was  committed. 
They  were  happy  here,  it  is  said,  but  they  could  not 
have  rested  peacefully  if  they  had  known  what  was 
to  happen  so  soon  in  that  very  room  wliere  they 
lived  and  loved  for  a  brief  time. 

It  is  not  far  from  these  gorgeous  rooms  to  a 
prison  cell  in  which  was  confined  the  Cardinal  of 
Lorraine,  the  brother  of  the  murdered  Duke  de 
Guise.  The  day  after  the  duke  was  killed,  the 
cardinal  was  summoned  from  his  cell  to  meet  the 
king.  As  he  walked  along  the  stone  gallery  with 
its  richly  carved  balustrade  that  led  toward  the 
apartments  of  Henry  III.  he,  too,  was  struck  from  be- 
hind and  murdered.  The  bodies  of  these  two  Guise 
princes  were  burned,  and  the  ashes  strewn  upon  the 
waters  of  the  Loire. 

The  Guises  had  been  induced  to  come  from  Paris, 
where  their  chief  following  was,  in  order  to  attend 
a  meeting  of  the  States-General,  which  the  king  had 
called  in  the  great  hall  which  is  at  the  angle  of  the 
castle  between  the  parts  built  by  Francis  I.  and 
Louis  XII.  This  Salle  d'Etats  dates  from  the 
beginning  of  the  thirteenth  century,  and  has  been 
restored  by  the  same  master  hand  that  has  brought 
the  rest  of  the  castle  to  life  again.  It  is  now  one  of 
the  finest  Gothic  halls  in  Europe  with  its  pointed 
windows,  and  its  row  of  columns  that  divide  it  in  the 


THE   CHATEAU   OF   BLOIS  167 

middle,  and  support  the  vault  of  a  Gothic  roof  over 
each  part. 

It  is  splendid  in  red  and  blue  and  gold  as  it  used 
to  be.  If  the  tapestries  were  there,  the  room  would 
be  nearly  as  it  was  when  the  Guises  entered  it,  and 
the  king  came  down  the  staircase  that  leads  to  it 
from  the  royal  apartments. 

It  is  better  now,  if  one  wishes  to  get  a  true  idea 
of  what  the  chateau  of  Blois  is,  to  leave  those  parts 
of  it  which  are  so  closely  connected  with  the  death 
of  the  duke  and  the  cardinal,  and  look  at  it  from 
quite  another  point  of  view.  Although  the  great 
staircase  that  Francis  I.  built  is  associated  with  this 
tragedy  because  of  the  meeting  of  the  king  and  the 
duke  at  the  foot  of  it,  there  is  no  reason  for  sug- 
gesting anything  about  it,  except  its  beauty.  There 
is  no  such  other  stairway  in  the  world,  I  suppose. 
The  design  of  it  is  attributed  to  Leonardo  da  Vinci, 
simply  for  the  reason  that  it  is  thought  no  other 
artist  who  ever  lived  would  have  been  equal  to  such 
an  achievement  of  the  beauty  and  strength  of  archi- 
tecture, combined  with  the  most  magnificent  orna- 
mentation. I  believe  there  is  no  testimony  of  history 
that  can  be  trusted  telling  that  the  wonderful  cfenius 
of  Leonardo  really  did  this  work,  nor  is  there  any 
that  speaks  of  any  other  who  did  it.  It  has  to  tell 
its  own  story.     It  is  also  said  that  Jean  Goujon  did 


168  THE  CHATEAU   OF   BLOIS 

some  of  the  work  of  sculpture,  but  this  also  is  a, 
tradition.  Certainly  the  exquisite  statue  of  a  woman 
near  the  foot  of  the  stairway  suggests  his  handiwork, 
but  it  must  be  trusted  to  tell  its  own  tale.  The  stair- 
case is  almost  like  a  detached  building  about  mid- 
way of  the  front  of  Francis  I.'s  wing.  It  has  not 
the  effect  of  a  tower.  It  is  related  in  style  to  the 
rest  of  this  part  of  the  chateau,  and  yet  it  hardly 
seems  to  belong  with  it.  In  the  splendid  ornamenta- 
tion of  its  spiral  staircase  it  would  seem  to  belong 
to  the  time  of  the  Renascence,  but  it  has  Gothic 
gargoyles,  and  its  form  throughout  is  not  like  that 
of  most  buildings  of  the  Renascence  time.  It 
seems  to  be  almost  sui  generis,  the  exquisite 
work  of  some  genius  who  had  his  own  style  and 
cared  nothing  for  the  schools.  Even  in  this  wonder- 
ful work  of  art  there  is  a  suggestion  of  the  wicked 
queen  who  died  at  Blois,  for  Jean  Goujon  was  killed 
in  the  massacre  of  St.  Bartholomew. 

Although  the  staircase  is  so  wonderfully  beautiful, 
it  is  not  all  of  the  beauty  of  Francis  I.'s  building. 
The  faQade  toward  the  courtyard  is  most  richly  orna- 
mented. The  salamander,  which  was  the  king's 
emblem,  is  repeatedly  used,  too  often  it  may  be,  but 
some  of  the  representations  of  this  curious  creature 
are  masterpieces  of  the  carver's  art  when  it  was  great 
enough  to  come  close  to  that  of  the  sculptor.     In 


THE   CHATEAU   OF   BLOIS  169 

beauty  of  form  and  line  this  building  does  not  equal 
the  Gothic  part  that  Louis  XII.  built,  Init  it  is  far 
superior  to  the  wing  that  Gaston  d'Orli^ans  entrusted 
to  Mansard.  The  style  of  this  within  and  without 
is  in  pitiable  contrast  with  either  of  the  others. 
Nevertheless,  Gaston  must  have  thought  it  better 
than  the  exquisite  works  of  art  that  were  before  his 
eyes  here.  He  actually  thought  of  pulling  down  the 
whole  castle  and  substituting  Mansard's  work.  He 
did  destroy  a  good  deal  of  it,  but  fortunately  the 
best  part  still  remains. 

Beside  the  three  wings,  the  hall  of  the  States-Gen- 
eral, and  the  chapel  of  Anne  of  Brittany,  there  is  still 
another  part  of  the  castle  of  Blois.  It  is  a  very 
ancient  tower  close  to  the  ramparts  that  tell  of  the 
fortress  part  the  place  once  had  in  history.  This 
tower  now  stands  quite  alone.  It  was  once  a  part  of 
the  defences  of  Blois.  Now  the  ivy  clings  to  it  and 
seeks  to  conceal  all  harm  that  has  been  done  to  it  by 
time  or  violence.  It  has  come  to  the  days  of  a 
peaceful  old  age.  No  longer  does  any  foe  attack  it, 
no  longer  does  any  restless,  eager  soul  seek  counsel 
fi'om  the  heavens  on  its  top.  It  was  hither  that  Cath- 
erine de'  Medici  resorted,  and  with  her  astronomer 
consulted  the  stars.  It  was  she  who  caused  it  to  be 
called  "  Uranse  Sacrum."  Its  position  was  well 
suited  for  study  of  astronomy.     High  on  the  battle- 


170  THE   CHATEAU   OF   BLOIS 

ments  of  Blois,  which  were  themselves  high  above 
the  town,  there  was  nothing  to  hinder  a  view  of  the 
heavens  from  the  horizon  to  the  zenith.  What  ter- 
rible things  must  have  been  tokl  of  or  suggested 
apon  that  tower  top !  Catherine  and  Louis  XL  are 
alike  in  their  superstition,  their  cruelty,  and  their 
professed  zeal  for  the  church.  The  astrologer  who 
used  the  astrolabe  here  had  a  great  influence  upon 
the  destinies  of  France  —  how  much  no  one  will  ever 
know.  Before  any  murder  was  committed  or  fearful 
crime  of  whatever  nature,  Louis  XL  would  pray  and 
promise  something  to  the  Virgin  or  some  saint,  and 
Catherine  would  go  to  her  oratory  in  a  most  devout 
manner,  but  before  the  fatal  thing  was  done  both 
would  go  to  the  astrologer  and  ask  what  the  outcome 
of  the  intended  crime  was  to  be. 

Upon  this  old  tower  of  Blois  what  fearful  things 
were  thought  of,  what  dreadful  deeds  decided  upon ! 
It  may  be  the  stars  told  Catherine  that  the  Duke 
de  Guise  ought  not  to  be  murdered  beneath  her  roof, 
but  perhaps  they  also  said  her  child  was  born  a 
murderer. 

It  is  very  peaceful  now.  Far  below  is  the  church 
of  St.  Nicholas — a  noble  building  of  early  Gothic 
work.  The  queen  may  have  gone  there  to  mass 
when  she  left  the  astrologer  in  the  tower.  Now  as 
the    sun  sets  the  rooks  come   home  to   their  nests 


THE   CHATEAU   OF   BLOIS  171 

about  the  towers  of  the  church.  There  are  many 
noisy  greetings,  much  restless  flying  about,  but  at 
last  the  old  church  shelters  them  and  they  find  peace. 
It  was  not  so  with  Catherine  —  not  on  her  tower, 
not  in  her  oratory  nor  in  the  royal  rooms  of  Blois, 
haunted  by  thoughts  of  blood  and  crime. 

Below  the  church  of  St.  Nicholas  moves  slowly, 
grandly  on  the  Loire.  Its  peace  is  not  disturbed  by 
the  evil  that  has  been  done  upon  its  banks.  It  knows 
the  secrets  of  the  dungeons,  the  scaffolds,  the  assassin's 
knife ;  it  could  tell  many  a  tale  of  unbridled  ambi- 
tion, of  licentiousness  that  scarcely  sought  conceal- 
ment, but  it  says  no  word.  It  tries  to  carry  away  its 
miserable  burden  of  human  woe  and  frailty,  and  bury 
it  in  the  sea  toward  which  it  is  eagerly  going. 

The  sun  has  set.  The  rooks  are  quiet  in  their 
nests  in  the  old  church.  The  moon  rises  and  silvers 
the  river,  the  towers  of  the  church,  the  town,  the  old 
observatory,  the  stairway  of  Francis,  the  colonnade  of 
Louis.  It  shines,  too,  upon  all  the  other  chateaus  by 
the  Loire.  To  each  it  gives  a  touch  of  mystery,  to 
all  it  gives  a  much-needed  peace.  Under  its  mystical 
light  all  the  evil  is  forgotten,  and  only  the  exquisite 
beauty  of  the  castles  of  Touraine  remains  in  the 
mind. 


CHAPTER  XIX 

THE   CHATEAUX   OF   LOCHES   AND    CHAUMONT 

LocHES  and  Chaumont  are  so  utterly  different  in 
construction,  history,  and  spirit  that  I  put  them  to- 
gether in  description  for  the  sake  of  the  contrast. 
Loches  is  on  the  river  Indre.  It  takes  about  an  hour 
and  a  half  to  reach  it  from  Tours.  Chaumont  is  on 
the  Loire,  and  can  be  reached  by  carriage  from  Blois 
in  about  the  same  time. 

To  English  people  Loches  may  seem  more  interest- 
ing than  any  other  of  the  castles  of  Touraine.  Un- 
less Chinon  be  excepted,  there  is  no  other  chateau  so 
closely  associated  with  the  early  history  of  the 
Plantagenet  kings.  It  was  the  ancient  home  of 
the  counts  of  Anjou,  and  their  chief  stronghold 
in  the  wars  that  they  waged  year  after  year 
against    the    counts    of   Blois. 

While  Richard  Cceur  de  Lion  was  away  in  Pales- 
tine, and  his  treacherous  brother  thought  he  would 
never  return,  John  gave  Loches  to  the  French,  but 
as  soon  as  Richard  was  free  after  his  imprisonment 

172 


THE   CHATEAUX   OF   LOCHES   AND   CHAUMONT      173 

he  laid  siege  to  the  castle  and  took  it.     It  was,  how- 
ever, retaken  after  a  year's  siege  b}'  Philip  Augustus. 

Loches  is  interesting  also  because  Charles  VII.  long 
lived  here,  and  there  is  a  tower  in  which  dwelt  Agnes 
Sorel,  the  one  Avoman  whom  he  really  loved.  It  was 
here,  doubtless,  that  her  courage,  wisdom,  and  patri- 
otic enthusiasm  inspired  Charles  to  go  forth  and  com- 
plete the  work  which  Joan  of  Arc  had  begun.  The 
famous  monument  to  Agnes  Sorel  is  in  the  basement 
of  this  tower.  It  was  formerly  in  the  collegiate 
church  near  by,  but  the  monks  Avere  afraid  her  life 
had  not  been  pure  enough  to  admit  of  her  remains 
resting  in  so  sacred  a  place.  They  did  not  seem  to 
remember  that  she  had  endowed  their  monastery  most 
munificently,  and  done  many  a  good  work  for  them, 
and  therefore  they  asked  Louis  XL  to  have  her  tomb 
removed  from  the  church.  Tliat  monarch,  with  char- 
acteristic acuteness,  replied  that  they  might  move  her 
body  and  her  monument  if  they  would  give  up  the 
possessions  they  had  received  from  her.  It  goes 
without  saying  that  the  tomb  was  not  disturbed  at 
that  time,  but  later  it  was  taken  from  the  church  and 
placed  in  Agnes'  tower. 

The  monument  itself,  while  not  a  masterpiece  of 
sculpture,  is  very  simple,  and  most  touching  in  its 
suggestion.  It  is  a  recumbent  figure  with  folded 
hands  in  the  manner  so  common   in   the   mediaeval 


174      THE   CHATEAUX   OF   LOCHES   AND    CHAUMONT 

days,  but  it  is  varied  from  the  usual  type  by  the 
introduction  of  two  little  lambs  at  the  feet  and 
two  angels,  quite  small,  but  beautifully  chiselled^ 
who  bend  over  the  face  and  seem  to  shelter  it  with 
their  brooding  wings.  Agnes  Sorel  must  have  been 
a  very  beautiful  woman  if  this  is  a  good  likeness  of 
her,  for  even  although  it  has  been  in  places  restored 
with  plaster  the  face  is  most  pure  and  lovely.  It 
seems  a  strange  monument  for  one  who  was  a 
king's  mistress,  but  it  confirms  the  testimony  of 
history  that  Agnes  Sorel  was  a  very  high-souled 
woman  and  the  king's  good  genius  in  the  most 
critical  days  of  his  life. 

It  is  not,  however,  the  gentle  Agnes  who  gives  to 
Loches  its  chief  historical  interest.  Not  because  she 
lived  and  loved  here  do  people  visit  it  to-day,  but  for 
the  reason  that  Louis  XI.  had  here  his  dungeons  and 
torture  chambers.  These  still  remain,  and  they  tell 
a  tale  of  human  cruelty  which  is  hardly  credible 
even  when  the  eye  looks  upon  those  hideous  cells 
whose  mute  testimony  cannot  be  contradicted.  The 
walls  would  be  eloquent  in  themselves  even  if  they 
were  not  covered  with  the  written  laments  of  many 
a  prisoner  who  languished  here  for  years  until  death 
finally  came  to  his  relief.  These  dungeons  are  in  the 
older  part  of  the  castle,  quite  remote  from  Agnes' 
tower  and  Charles  VII.'s  royal  apartments.     Above 


THE   CHATEAUX   OF   LOCHES    AND   CHAUMONT      175 

tliera  looms  up  the  gigantic  donjon  of  Foulkes  Nerra, 
half-ruined  but  still  terrible  and  imposing.  Around 
them  wind  the  ramparts  from  which  rises  the  Tour 
Ronde — still  grim  and  defiant  as  in  the  feudal  days. 
In  this  tower  was  the  principal  torture  chamber.  It 
is  now  used  as  the  prison  of  the  town.  But  there 
is  another  place  in  this  tower  far  more  terrible,  and 
that  is  the  dungeon  down  deep  below  the  ground 
where  Louis  XI.  kept  Cardinal  Balue  suspended  in 
an  iron  cage  for  years,  just  because  he  told  some  of 
the  king's  secrets  to  Charles  of  Burgundy.  The 
dungeon  is  small.  It  is  cut  out  of  the  wall  of  the 
castle,  but  the  cage  that  hung  within  it  was  much 
smaller  yet.  A  man  could  neither  sit  up  nor  lie  down 
in  it.  A  sort  of  crouching  posture  was  all  it  would 
permit.  There  is  a  landing  on  the  stairs  just  above 
this  horrible  place,  to  which  Louis  XL  used  to  come 
in  order  that  he  might  see  and  gloat  over  the  agonies 
of  his  victim. 

Philip  de  Commines  was  also  imprisoned  at  Loches 
for  a  few  months,  but  his  cell  is  not  so  horrible  as 
that  of  Cardinal  Balue.  It  is  in  another  tower,  and 
there  was  light  enough  for  him  to  begin  writing  that 
history  which  probably  gives  as  fair  an  idea  as  any 
of  the  character  of  Louis  XL 

Within  the  great  space  enclosed  by  the  ramparts 
of   Loches,  between   the  dungeons  and   the  palace. 


176      THE   CHATEAUX   OF   LOCHES    AND    CHAUMONT 

stands  a  church — the  collegiate  church,  it  is  called  — 
which  is  thought  to  be  one  of  the  most  remarkable 
among  the  churches  of   France  built  at  that  time. 

The  peculiarity  of  it  is  that  it  has  no  roof  in  the 
ordinary  sense  of  that  word  as  applied  to  churches, 
for  the  nave  is  covered  by  four  contiguous  towers, 
which  are  like  domes,  or,  perhaps  better,  lanterns 
when  seen  from  within.  I  think  the  church  more 
remarkable  than  beautiful.  It  is  a  most  interesting 
study  for  an  architect,  but  to  the  ordinary  traveller 
it  is  not  especially  attractive. 

In  spite  of  the  great  historic  interest  of  Loches,  it 
is  not  a  very  pleasant  place  to  visit.  All  that  there 
is  of  beauty  of  architecture,  all  the  picturesqueness 
of  the  houses  with  their  high-pitched  roofs  climbing 
up  the  hill  to  get  as  near  the  protecting  castle  as 
possible,  cannot  efface  the  principal  impression  of 
the  place  which  comes  from  the  horrors  of  its  dun- 
geons. It  is  a  scene  of  crime  and  cruelty,  of  untold 
agony,  of  tragedies  almost  beyond  belief. 

One  breathes  freer  on  passing  out  of  its  stern  gate 
and  looking  up  at  the  blue  sky  the  poor  prisoners 
could  not  see.  As  he  sees  again  the  sunshine,  and 
the  fair  fields  and  vineyards,  he  hopes  the  days  of 
tlie  hideous  tortures  of  the  dungeons  he  has  just  left 
are  past,  never  to  return. 

How  different  the  thought  of  charming  Chaumont, 


THE  CHATEAUX   OF   LOCHES   AND   CHAUMONT      177 

one  of  the  fairest  feudal  castles  in  the  world !  Any 
detailed  description  of  such  a  place  would  not  be  of 
much  use — only  a  suggestion  is  needed  to  awaken 
interest  in  it. 

This  was  the  home  of  Georges  d'Amboise,  the  car- 
dinal, Louis  XTI.'s  great  minister — the  predecessor 
of  Richelieu  and  Mazarin.  Here  is  his  cardinal's  hat 
carved  in  stone  over  the  door  with  Louis  XIL's 
porcupine  underneath  it,  and  again,  in  the  chapel 
there  is  the  throne  he  sat  on,  and  the  very  famous 
hat  itself  that  Cffisar  Bo,rgia  brought  all  the  way 
from  Italy  is  hanging  there  over  the  throne  just 
below  a  great  stained  glass  window,  and  the  car- 
dinal's cushions  to  sit  on  and  to  kneel  on  are  all 
there.  Yes,  everything  is  ready  for  him,  and  when 
he  comes  in  he  will  sit  there  on  the  throne,  and 
the  hat  will  be  placed  on  his  head.  Afterward 
Catherine  de'  Medici  and  her  ladies  will  enter  the 
gallery  of  the  chapel  by  the  private  door,  and  there 
they  will  sit  on  the  cushioned  seats  with  the  high 
carved  backs,  and  hear  mass,  and  doubtless  partici- 
pate in  the  ceremony  with  the  utmost  appearance,  at 
least,  of  piety. 

In  the  rooms  below  are  many  things  that  make  it 
sure  this  must  have  been  Catherine  de'  Medici's  home 
sometimes.  Here  is  the  queen's  bed,  with  its  richly 
embroidered  hangings  and  coverlid,  just  as  it  was 


lib      THE   CHATEAUX   OP   LOCHES   AND   CHAUMONT 

when  she  last  rose  from  it  to  kneel  at  the  prie-dieu 
by  its  side.  There  is  the  wash-stand,  a  rather  elabo- 
rate one,  on  the  other  side.  Upon  it  are  all  the 
implements  of  the  toilet  of  a  woman  of  that  day  — 
powder-box  and  rouge-pot,  little  bottles  for  essences 
and  perfumes,  a  beautiful  basin  and  pitcher,  —  every- 
tliing  in  fact  that  was  needed  for  this  charming 
queen-mother's  toilet.  They  are  all  in  perfect  order. 
Catherine  de'  Medici  might  use  them  now  just  as 
well  as  before,  if  her  sphere  of  usefulness  had  not 
been  changed  from  this  world  to  another. 

There  cannot  be  any  doubt  that  this  was  her  room, 
when  one  sees  it  connects  with  an  apartment  used  by 
the  astrologer,  Ruggieri.  There  is  a  portrait  of  the 
Italian  astrologer  in  this  room.  There  is  his  bed,  — 
not  quite  so  splendid  nor  so  wide  as  the  queen's,  but 
good  enough  for  any  one.  There  was  no  prie-dieu 
beside  it.     He  preferred,  perhaps,  to  consult  the  stars. 

There  is  a  door  opening  fi'om  his  room  which  gives 
entrance  to  the  winding  stone  staircase  that  leads 
to  the  tower-top.  Up  this  staircase  the  queen  and 
the  astrologer  often  went,  that  they  might  study  the 
heavens  together,  and  by  their  teaching  decide  the 
fate  of  many  a  poor  mortal. 

There  is  splendid  carved  furniture.  There  are 
coffers  in  which  the  treasures  were  kept,  —  exquisite 
works  of  Italian  art.     All  these  things  tell  that  the 


THE   CHATEAUX   OP   LOCHES   AND   CHAUMONT      179 

Italian  queen  lived  here.  The  mistress  of  Catherine's 
husband,  Henry  II.,  Diane  de  Poitiers,  lived  here  too 
after  the  king  had  died  and  Catherine  had  succeeded 
in  stealing  Chenonceaux  from  the  royal  favorite. 

This  chateau  of  Chaumont  does  not  seem  to-day 
as  if  it  could  have  become  the  home  of  anybody, 
even  if  that  person  were  the  Duke  de  Broglie, 
who  now  lives  there.  Why,  Voltaire  was  here  ! 
Georges  Sand  walked  on  these  terraces,  and  wrote, 
perhaps,  even  in  the  Italian  queen's  room.  The 
place  was  once  a  fortress.  There  was  a  moat.  There 
are  towers,  with  their  loopholes  for  archers  and 
arquebusiers,  and  the  machicoulis,  through  which 
to  pour  down  the  boiling  oil.     There  are  ramparts. 

The  description  of  old  Chaumont  might  be  inter- 
esting, but  what  it  is  to-day  is  far  more  interesting, 
because  it  has  become  a  home,  —  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  in  France.  Its  white  towers,  with  their 
blue-gray  conical  tops,  rise  from  the  crest  of  a  hill 
far  above  the  majestic  Loire,  broad  and  placid, 
moving  on  with  great  dignity  and  power  among 
its  meadows  and  vineyards  and  beneath  the  many 
arches    of    its    bridges. 

The  towers  are  embowered  in  most  luxuriant  foli- 
age. Trees  climb  up  the  hillside,  and  they  even 
reach  the  castle.  They  surround  it  with  living 
green.     Sometimes  when  they  have  almost   gained 


180      THE   CHATEAUX   OF    LOCHES   AND   CHAUMONT 

the  top  they  seem  to  tiy  to  vie  in  height  with  the 
old  white  towers  themselves.  This  they  cannot  do, 
but  the  mingling  of  their  varied  greens  with  the  white 
and  the  blue-gray  of  the  masonry  is  an  artist's  dream. 

Nevertheless,  it  is  not  so  romantic  as  the  terraces 
that  overlook  the  river,  for  about  these  the  vines 
that  love  to  climb  have  full  sway.  The  ivy  and 
the  honeysuckle,  the  clinging  roses,  even  the  mosses 
and  the  ferns  have  claimed  these  ancient  balustrades 
for  their  own.  They  embrace  and  caress  the  old 
stones.  They  almost  hide  them ;  but  they  do  not 
dare  lift  their  flowers,  nor  even  their  leaves  and 
tendrils,  high  enough  to  shut  out  the  Loire,  a  shin- 
inon  silver  backOTound  for  their  beauties  of  color  and 
of  form,  as  one  looks  down  from  the  terrace. 

A  little  lower  down  is  the  "  lovers'  walk,"  tliat 
winds  along  the  hillside,  up  and  down,  half  hidden 
by  trees  and  shrubs,  gay  with  flowers,  and  with 
glimpses  here  and  there  of  emerald  turf,  and  some- 
times of  a  pointed  roof  or  tower  far  above,  or  a  rip- 
ple of  sun-sparkled  water  far  below,  or  of  a  bridge 
that  crosses  the  water  so  charmingly  lighted. 

This,  then,  is  something  of  what  Chaumont  is  to- 
day, but  it  is  only  a  suggestion.  The  historian  must 
tell  what  it  used  to  be.  Its  charm  as  a  home  will  be 
remembered  even  if  all  the  momentous  facts  in  its 
history  are  quite  forgotten. 


CHAPTER   XX 

THE  CHATEAUX   OF   AMBOISE  AND   CHAMBORD 

Amboise  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  of  the 
Touraine  castles.  Its  exterior  is  most  imposing, 
and  its  situation  is  charming ;  for  it  is  on  the  crest 
of  a  hill  beside  the  Loire,  just  at  a  point  where  a 
large  island  divides  that  majestic  stream  into  two 
l^arts,  thus  adding  an  element  of  j)icturesqueness  to 
the  power  and  beauty  of  the  river's  movement.  Its 
vast  towers  make  it  one  of  the  most  singular  of 
all  these  chateaux.  They  rise  almost  from  the  level 
of  the  river  to  the  top  of  the  hill.  The  walls  and 
buildings  between  the  towers  are  dignified,  and  their 
turrets  and  pinnacled  windows  make  a  beautiful  sky 
line  as  one  looks  up  toward  the  castle  from  the 
banks  of  the  Loire. 

Although  Amboise  is  so  beautiful,  it  is,  neverthe- 
less, haunted,  as  Loches  is,  by  some  spirit  that  tells  of 
the  human  agony  there  endured.  It  was  here  that 
the  Huguenots  were  massacred  after  the  conspiracy 
of  La  Renaudie  and  his  followers  against  the  Guises 

181 


182     THE   CHATEAUX   OF   AMBOISE   AND    CHAMBORD 

had  been  discovered  and  frustrated.  Catherine  de' 
Medici,  with  her  son,  Francis  II.,  and  her  other 
sons  who  afterwards  became  Charles  IX.,  and  Henry 
III.,  with  her  ladies  in  waiting  and  the  young  and 
beautiful  Mary,  Queen  of  Scots,  all  in  full  court 
dress,  witnessed  this  horrible  butcliery  from  a  balcony 
of  the  castle  that  faces  the  Loire.  Above  this  balcony 
is  another  one,  with  an  iron  railing  on  which  were 
placed  the  heads  of  the  Huguenot  chieftains. 

It  seems  as  if  the  incredibly  wicked  Italian  queen 
simply  waded  in  blood  during  the  whole  time  of  her 
baleful  power  in  France.  Once  only,  and  then  it 
was  on  her  death-bed,  she  tried  to  stop  the  shedding 
of  blood ;  but  that  scene  belongs  to  the  history  of 
Blois. 

An  immense  scaffold  was  built  in  an  open  square 
below  the  castle  of  Amboise,  between  the  rock  on 
which  it  stands  and  the  bank  of  the  Loire.  The 
principal  men  among  the  Huguenots  were  led  up 
hither  together.  They  all  sang  in  unison  Clement 
Marot's  translation  of  the  psalm,  "  God  be  merciful 
to  us  and  bless  us."  As  the  heads  fell  off  one  by 
one,  the  psalm  grew  fainter  and  fainter;  but  the 
last  one  kept  on  singing  until  his  turn  came  to  die. 
The  headsman  grew  weary  with  his  work.  His  axe 
was  blunted,  and  at  last  he  had  to  turn  over  the 
victims  still   left   to   other   executioners.     Many  of 


_i^_a^  &&  i/^  g^     |> 


'tr>r--;-i-  .  ,^=r!5r-<^*yj-^ 


-1  i^ilMMWW 


'fT 


U 


^'*^***^****M**^*'^^!^'^ 


DOOR  OF  THE  CHAPEL  OF  AMBOISE 


THE    CH5.TEAUX   OF    AMBOISE   AND    CHAMBORD     183 

the  bodies  were  thrown  into  the  Loire ;  but  still 
there  were  so  many  of  the  killed  about  the  streets, 
and  even  in  the  castle,  that  the  court  was  obliged 
to  leave  Amboise  on  account  of  the  stench  that  came 
from  the  unburied  dead. 

Such  was  one  scene  that  Mary  Stuart  looked  upon 
during  her  short  married  life  wdth  the  young  king, 
Francis  II.  She  was  to  see  many  another  scene  of 
blood ;  but  it  is  said  that  this  one  haunted  her  even 
to  her  dying  day.  She  could  not  get  rid  of  the 
thought  of  it  even  when  she  was  preparing  herself 
to  die  as  the  Huguenots  died  at  Amboise. 

Although  this  is  the  most  striking  and  terrible 
page  in  its  history,  Amboise  is  really  more  closely 
connected  with  Charles  VIII.  than  with  any  other 
king.  He  built  a  large  part  of  it.  To  him  is  due 
the  exquisite  chapel,  —  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
examples  of  florid  Gothic  in  the  world,  —  which  he 
built  for  his  queen,  Anne  of  Brittany,  and  dedicated 
to  St.  Hubert.  The  bas-relief  over  the  door  is  of 
that  familiar  subject,  —  the  saint  meeting  in  the 
wood  the  stag  with  the  miraculous  cross  between 
his  horns.  This  is  the  work  of  Italian  artists  whom 
Charles  VIII.  brought  back  from  Italy.  The  carv- 
ings within  the  little  chapel  are  so  exquisitely  deli- 
cate that  it  seems  as  if  the  most  dainty  white  lace, 
turned  to  cream-color  by  age,  had  been  hung  about 


184     THE    CHATEAUX   OF   AMBOISE   AND    CHAMBORD 

the  walls.  So  delightful  is  the  little  chapel  on  the 
edofe  of  the  terrace,  with  flowers  and  trees  about 
it,  that  one  almost  forgets  all  about  the  big  castle. 

The  castle,  however,  is  a  most  interesting  build- 
ing, and  in  some  ways  quite  unique.  The  towers 
and  the  chapel  are  not  like  those  of  any  other  cha- 
teau in  Touraine.  The  great  tower  that  is  seen 
from  the  river-side  is  very  famous,  because  it  has 
within  it  an  inclined  plane  which  can  be  used  for 
horses  and  even  carriages.  This  leads  from  the  level 
of  the  river  to  the  apartments  of  the  king  on  the 
hill-top.  The  noble  people  dismounted  from  their 
horses  at  the  very  doors  of  the  rooms  they  were  to 
occupy.  There  is  another  tower,  similar  to  this  one, 
at  the  farther  end  of  the  castle. 

King  Charles  VIII.  undertook  these  great  works 
at  Amboise  partly  to  distract  his  mind  from  the 
grief  which  came  upon  him  when  his  son  died. 
This  boy  and  his  brother,  the  two  children  of 
Anne  of  Brittany,  were  buried  in  the  cathedral  of 
Tours,  where  their  beautiful  monument  still  remains. 
Charles's  towers  at  Amboise  became  renowned  all 
over  Europe.  Many  a  great  king  and  warrior,  many 
a  lovely  dame,  ascended  these  inclined  planes  and 
dismounted  in  the  courtyard  of  the  castle.  Among 
them  were  Charles  V.  of  Spain,  Francis  I.,  Mary 
Queen    of   Scots,  Catherine   de'    Medici,  —  most   of 


THE   CHATEAUX   OF   AMBOISE   AND   CHAMBORD     185 

the  great  people  of  France  and  many  from  the 
other  kingdoms  of  Europe. 

Charles  VIII.  at  the  time  when  he  built  Amboise 
was  fonder  of  his  building  than  anything  else.  He 
was  so  much  engrossed  in  it  that  he  wished  to  watch 
the  workmen  at  their  work  as  much  as  he  could. 
In  going  to  superintend  their  labors  one  day,  he 
passed  hastily  under  a  very  low,  arched  gateway  that 
was  between  his  private  stairway  and  the  ramparts. 
He  struck  his  head  against  the  stone  arch  and  died 
a  few  hours  afterwards  from  the  effect  of  the  blow. 

If  the  interior  of  Amboise  were  as  well  preserved 
or  as  admirably  restored  as  that  of  Blois  it  would 
certainly  be  one  of  the  most  interesting  in  all  Tou- 
raine  —  but,  unfortunately,  this  is  not  the  case.  The 
Comte  de  Paris,  who  owned  the  place,  attempted  to 
restore  it,  but  succeeded  only  partly  because  of  his 
banishment  from  France. 

There  is  very  little  now  to  see  within  the  castle, 
but  the  exterior  is  so  fine,  and  the  historical  associa- 
tions are  so  numerous,  that  Amboise  will  always  be 
a  favorite  resort  of  the  tourist  who  loves  noble  Gothic 
architecture,  and  cares  to  be  in  a  place  where  some 
of  the  most  interesting  events  in  French  history 
occurred. 

Of  Chambord  I  cannot  speak  with  enthusiasm, 
although  it  is  one  of  the  largest  of  all  the  chateaux 


186     THE   CHATEAUX   OF    AMBOISE   AND    CHAMBOED 

of  this  region.  Francis  I.,  for  some  reason  or  other, 
became  tired  of  his  work  at  Blois.  It  is  astonishing 
that  it  could  have  been  possible  to  become  wearied 
with  work  at  such  a  castle  as  Blois.  It  is  said  that 
if  Francis  had  put  the  money  he  spent  in  building 
Chambord  into  finishing  Blois,  there  never  would  have 
been  a  Versailles,  because  Blois  would  have  been  the 
permanent  home  of  the  French  kings  when  they  were 
not  at  Paris.  Blois  was  left  incomplete,  and  Chambord 
was  built.  The  situation  of  this  chateau  is  enough  to 
make  it  less  beautiful  than  the  others  even  if  it  were  in 
itself  beautiful.  Francis  chose  this  place  for  his  castle 
probably  because  of  his  fondness  for  hunting.  On  the 
site  of  Chambord  was  once  a  hunting-lodge  to  which 
the  king  often  resorted.  There  is  nothing  of  interest 
in  the  country  immediately  about  this  chateau  now, 
but  it  must  have  been  different  when  there  was  a 
great  forest  there.  It  may  be  that  the  king  thought 
the  place  where  he  had  found  such  pleasure  in  his 
sport  would  be  always  a  charming  place  in  which  to 
dwell,  but  when  the  forest  disappeared  the  charm 
was  gone. 

Chambord  itself  is  not  beautiful  enough  to  dis- 
pense with  the  beauty  of  the  forest  trees  that  once 
were  about  it.  The  building  is  deplorably  top-heavy. 
There  are  too  many  chimneys  and  they  are  too  much 
ornamented.    The  upper  and  lower  parts  of  the  struct- 


THE    CHATEAUX   OF   AMBOISE   AND    CHAMBORD     187 

ure  do  not  harmonize.  When  there  was  a  moat 
about  it  the  reflection  in  the  water  may  have  helped 
it,  and  given  a  different  impression  from  that  of 
to-day  ;  but  even  then  it  coukl  not  have  been  a 
harmonious  building. 

The  most  remarkable  part  of  it  is  the  staircase, 
which  is  very  large  and  surmounted  by  a  lantern  of 
great  size,  though  not  of  great  beauty.  This  stair- 
case is  certainly  most  peculiar,  even  if  it  is  not 
beautiful.  There  are  two  spiral  stone  stairways  in 
it,  arranged  in  such  a  way  that  people  may  ascend 
side  by  side  and  yet  hardly  see  each  other.  The 
two  stairways  are  separated  by  a  slight  difference 
of  level,  and  one  is  inside  the  other.  The  stone 
supports,  which  are  very  massive,  come  between  the 
two,  and  though  the  openings  are  many  and  large 
they  are  so  arranged  that  through  them  very  little  is 
to  be  seen  of  one  staircase  from  the  other  one.  The 
effect  is  very  curious,  but  it  is  far  from  being  agree- 
able or  artistic. 

Nor  is  the  chateau  very  interesting  in  its  sugges- 
tions about  history.  Francis  I.  Avas  here  a  good  deal, 
but  not  in  the  most  important  days  of  his  life.  Louis 
XIV.  was  here  too,  but  he  seems  to  have  been  dread- 
fully bored  at  Chambord,  and  a  good  deal  troubled 
about  the  quarrels  of  some  of  his  mistresses.  Madame 
de  Montespan  especially  annoyed  him  here. 


188     THE   CHATEAUX   OF   AMBOISE   AND   CHAMBORD 

The  most  interesting  person  whose  life  is  associ- 
ated with  Chambord  is  the  Marechal  de  Saxe, 
to  whom  the  place  was  given  by  Louis  XV.  The 
hero  of  Fontenoy  lived  here  for  some  time  in 
great  enjoyment  of  his  luxurious  surroundings ;  and 
he  amused  himself  with  reviews  of  troops  and  their 
manoeuvres,  which  he  directed  from  a  balcony  at  the 
back  of  the  palace.  His  excesses  would  soon  have 
killed  him  if  the  Prince  of  Conti  had  not  given  him 
a  mortal  wound  in  a  duel  fought  in  the  woods  near 
the  chateau. 

At  Chambord  Moliere's  "  Le  Bourgeois  Gentil- 
homme "  was  first  produced  before  the  court  and 
the  courtiers.  Its  success  was  immediate.  There 
must  have  been  a  fine  theatre  here  at  that  time  in 
one  of  the  halls  that  opens  toward  the  great  central 
staircase.  Nothing  is  left  of  it  now  but  the  outer 
walls  and  the  windows. 

The  vast  chateau  of  Chambord  is  not  without  some 
interest,  either  of  history  or  architecture,  but  it  is 
far  inferior  in  charm  to  any  other  of  the  important 
castles  of  Touraine. 

On  the  way  back  to  Blois,  one  may,  if  he  pleases, 
visit  two  of  the  smaller  chateaux,  —  Cheverny  and 
Beauregard.  The  former  belonged  to  a  minister  of 
Henry  IV.  It  contains  some  very  fine  old  armor, 
and  there  is  a  bedroom  in  it  once  occupied  by  King 


THE   CHATEAUX   OF   AMBOISE   AND    CHAMBORD     180 

Henry  of  Navarre.  It  is  now  nearly  the  same  as  it 
was  in  his  time.  There  are  also  in  this  chateau 
some  good  pictures.  The  best  of  them  are  portraits. 
The  subject  of  one  is  Cosmo  cle'  Medici  as  a  boy. 
Some  think  Van  Dyck  was  the  painter.  Others 
ascribe  it  to  Titian.  It  is  a  very  fine  portrait,  worthy 
of  either  of  the  great  men  who  may  have  painted  it. 

At  Beauregard  the  chief  interest  is  a  very  large 
gallery,  the  walls  of  which  are  entirely  covered  with 
so-called  portraits  of  the  kings  and  queens,  the 
soldiers,  statesmen,  and  the  court  beauties  of  Europe 
from  1400  to  1650.  The  pictures  are  so  bad  that 
it  is  hard  to  believe  they  can  be  likenesses,  but 
nevertheless  they  are  interesting  because  of  their 
historical  significance,  even  if  only  by  way  of 
susrgestion. 

From  this  chateau  the  drive  back  to  Blois  is  charm- 
ing. It  leads  through  the  vast  forest  where  lords 
and  ladies  used  to  hunt  with  hawk  and  hound,  and 
at  last  it  comes  again  to  the  Loire,  —  the  stream  that 
seems  to  know  all  the  secrets  of  the  Touraine  castles 
and  yet  remain  calm  and  majestic. 


CHAPTER   XXI 

ROMAN  AND  CHRISTIAN  MONUMENTS  AT  NIMES  AND 
ARLES 

NiMES  is  now  a  busy  French  city,  but  it  was  once 
a  Roman  place.  The  early  name  of  it  was  Nemau- 
sus.  The  Roman  historians  say  little  about  it  for 
some  reason  not  yet  fully  understood,  because  it 
must  have  been  a  very  important  city  in  the  western 
part  of  Rome's  empire.  Its  amphitheatre  is  enough 
to  show  that  it  was  large  and  populous,  and  its 
geographical  situation  easily  explains  its  importance, 
for  it  was  on  the  road  from  Rome  to  Spain. 

The  amphitheatre  is  in  some  ways  even  more  inter- 
esting than  the  Colosseum  at  Rome.  Its  exterior 
is  much  better  preserved.  A  large  part  of  this  is 
intact,  even  to  the  cornice  where  were  the  pierced 
stones  in  which  were  inserted  the  poles  that  were 
to  hold  up  the  awning  that  was  spread  over  the  seats 
of  the  spectators.  It  is  not  so  high  as  the  Colosseum. 
There  are  only  two  tiers  of  arches,  but  these  are  so 
lofty  that  they  give   the  building  an  impression  of 

190 


MONUMENTS    AT   N^MES    AND    AELES  191 

great  heiglit,  and  they  are  so  massive  that  they 
speak  ill  no  uncertain  tone  of  the  strength  of  that 
Roman  Empire  of  whose  greatness  they  formed  a 
part.  One  may  walk  all  around  the  building  under 
these  vast  arches,  and  it  is  possible  once  more  to 
go  all  about  it  under  the  arches  of  the  second  tier. 
From  here  the  view  of  the  arena  and  the  encircling 
seats  is  most  fascinating.  Rome  seems  to  live  again 
in  this  town  of  southern  France. 

The  places  of  worship  not  only  of  the  Romans  but 
of  the  Greeks  can  well  be  studied  at  Nimes.  They 
offer  a  most  interesting  contrast  to  the  Christian 
buildings,  and  it  is  well  to  study  them  with  that 
thought  in  mind. 

It  is  but  a  little  way  from  the  great  arena  of 
Nimes  to  the  Maison  Carree.  What  a  pity  they 
have  given  it  a  French  name!  It  is  not  in  the  least 
French.  It  is  Greek.  Although  it  has  come  down 
from  the  days  of  Antoninus  Pius,  and  Marcus 
Aurelius  and  Lucius  Verus  had  something  to  do 
with  the  building  of  it,  it  is,  nevertheless,  distinctly 
Greek.  Probably  it  was  built  by  Greeks  who  came 
as  colonists  to  many  places  in  the  Roman  Empire 
after  their  own  country  had  yielded  to  the  irresist- 
ible power  of  the  legions.  Here  at  Nimes  they 
dreamed  of  the  Acropolis  as  the  Jews  at  Babylon 
did   of    Solomon's    temple,   but  here   they   had   the 


192  MONUMENTS    AT   NIMES    AND   ARLES 

opportunity,  which  must  have  been  most  delightful 
to  them,  of  reproducing  one  of  their  own  Athenian 
temples.  The  building  is  a  gem  of  architecture.  It 
is  small,  as  the  Greek  temples  always  were,  but  it  is 
nearly  perfect  in  harmony  of  form  and  line.  The 
style  is  Corinthian.  The  columns  of  the  peristyle 
are  very  lofty,  and  their  capitals  most  exquisitely 
carved  with  that  somewhat  florid  but  deliciously 
chastened  ornamentation  which  marks  the  best 
period  of  the  Corinthian  work.  How  the  building 
has  been  preserved  in  its  present  almost  perfect 
form  is  hard  to  tell.  It  was  at  first  a  temple  of  the 
Greeks;  then  for  a  little  time  it  was  a  Christian 
church;  afterward  it  became  a  stable,  and  the  owner 
of  it  at  that  time  pared  away  the  bases  of  the 
columns  a  little  in  order  to  allow  his  carts  to  pass. 
This  seems  to  have  been  the  worst  injury  the  build- 
ing has  suffered.  Afterward  it  became  part  of  an 
Augustinian  convent,  and  was  used  as  a  burial-place. 
Still  later  a  tribunal  of  the  Revolution  held  its 
sittings  here.  Another  change,  and  it  became  a 
storehouse  for  corn,  and  last  of  all  it  was  a  museum, 
and  a  museum  it  still  is. 

This  temple  is  strongly  contrasted  in  style  with 
the  Nymphoeum,  once  called  the  temple  of  Diana, 
which  is  close  beside  the  ancient  baths.  This  is 
a  truly  Roman  building  with  the  prevailing   round 


MONUMENTS   AT   nLmES    AND    ARLES  193 

arch  so  characteristic  of  that  style  of  architecture. 
It  was  here  that  those  who  had  enjoyed  their  bath 
in  the  pure  waters  came  to  worship  the  nymphs  of 
the  stream  and  of  the  fountain  that  springs  from  the 
hill  above  it. 

This  most  interesting  building,  though  not  so  well 
preserved  as  the  Maison  Carrie,  is,  nevertheless,  one 
of  the  most  charming  of  the  Roman  monuments  to 
be  found  outside  of  Rome  itself.  It  has  not  been 
restored,  and  is  partly  in  ruins,  but  remains  almost 
exactly  as  it  was  more  than  sixteen  centuries  ago. 
The  worship,  the  architecture,  and  the  art  of  Rome 
can  well  be  studied  here.  The  noble  cathedral  of 
Carcassonne  is  not  far  from  the  Maison  Carree  and 
the  Nymphseum.  The  contrast  tells  its  own  tale  as  to 
the  difference  in  the  spirit  of  worship  between  the 
Roman  and  the  Christian  days. 

It  was  not  in  the  temples  that  the  chief  glory  of 
Roman  architecture  was  to  be  found.  Not  far  from 
Nimes  is  a  monument  that  speaks  as  truly  as  any 
other  of  the  power  and  the  splendor  of  this  wonder- 
ful people.  The  Pont  du  Gard  is  one  of  the  most 
impressive  of  all  Roman  structures  in  the  world. 
The  arena  at  Nemausus  needed  water.  Sometimes 
they  flooded  it,  and  had  mimic  naval  battles  as  in  all 
Roman  amphitheatres  of  importance.  This  water 
had  to  be  brought  from  a  long  distance  and  carried 


194  MONUMENTS   AT   NIMES    AND   ARLES 

over  the  hills  and  through  the  valleys  by  an  aque- 
duct which  was  more  than  thirty  miles  long. 

It  is  nearly  fifteen  miles  from  Nimes  to  the  Pont 
du  Gard,  but  one  scarcely  tires  of  the  long  drive  be- 
cause the  road  itself  is  a  Roman  monument.  Broad, 
smooth,  majestic,  it  seems  to  flow  on  like  some  grand 
river  that  pays  no  heed  to  mountain,  cliff,  or  any  other 
obstacle,  but  quietly,  albeit  irresistibly,  pursues  its 
own  course  and  eventually  attains  its  own  ends.  It 
is  indeed  suggestive  of  the  onward  march  of  Rome. 
Even  to-day  it  would  well  afford  passage  for  an  army. 

The  scenery  of  this  long  drive  is  not  interesting. 
There  are  olive  orchards  so  large  and  so  numerous 
that  they  become  monotonous,  and  there  are  almost 
as  many  vineyards  which  are  not  very  picturesque. 
The  peasants  do  not  make  such  pictures  as  those 
about  Pau.  The  piercing  power  of  the  mistral  forces 
them  to  wrap  themselves  up  very  closely.  Instead 
of  the  pretty  beretta  they  wear  often  a  fur  cap 
which  is  quite  commonplace.  But  there  are  towers 
on  the  hills,  very  ancient,  perhaps  Roman,  and  there 
are  churches  here  and  there,  and  convents  among  the 
olive  trees.  There  are  two  or  three  villages,  but 
they  have  a  desolate,  forsaken  look  quite  different 
from  most  little  towns  in  France.  They  should 
not  look  like  this  in  the  midst  of  such  abundant 
plenty  —  but  they  do. 


MONUMENTS   AT   NhlES   AND   ARLES  195 

On  Hearing  the  Pont  du  Gard  the  aspect  of  the 
country  suddenly  changes.  It  is  no  longer  smiling 
and  fertile,  but  forbidding  because  of  rocks,  and 
cliffs,  and  wild,  lonesome  spaces  where  no  habita- 
tions are. 

Suddenly  on  turning  from  the  main  road  and 
entering  a  deep  gorge  through  which  the  river  flows, 
the  great  bridge  is  seen.  The  first  sight  of  it  is  an 
impression  never  to  be  forgotten.  From  one  moun- 
tain to  the  other,  across  the  stream  and  the  jagged 
rocks  on  either  side,  it  stretches.  Its  towering  arches 
—  three  tiers  of  them  —  seem  almost  to  touch  the 
sky.  The  first  thought  about  this  wonderful  struct- 
ure is  of  its  majesty,  the  next  of  its  time-defying 
strength.  How  many  times  in  all  the  centuries  of 
its  life  have  the  lightning  and  the  wind  sought  to 
attack  it !  How  many  times  have  the  floods  sought 
to  undermine  its  foundations,  and  all  without  avail, 
for  it  still  stands  there.  It  was  built,  as  it  is  said, 
by  Marcus  Agrippa,  the  son-in-law  of  Augustus, 
nineteen  years  before  Christ  was  born.  Here  it 
stands  to-day,  almost  intact.  If  man  had  not  touched 
it,  it  would  be  nearly  as  it  was  upon  the  day  when  it 
was  completed.  The  elements  have  had  little  per- 
ceptible effect  upon  it. 

Here  is  the  restless  energy  of  the  Roman  people, 
embodied   in  stone.     They  wished   water   for    their 


196  MONUMENTS    AT   NIMES   AND   ARLES 

games  at  Nemausus,  and  no  physical  obstacle  was  to 
stand  in  the  way  of  the  accomplishment  of  their 
wishes.  They  cared  not  for  the  enormous  expense 
of  such  a  structure.  The  world  was  theirs.  Why 
should  they  care  ?  They  thought  the  world  was 
always  to  be  their  world,  and  therefore  they  built 
what  was  meant  to  last  as  long  as  the  very  moun- 
tains themselves. 

But  what  an  extraordinary  method  of  construction 
for  a  building  that  was  to  last  forever !  The  huge 
blocks  of  stone  that  form  these  gigantic  arches  are 
fitted  together  without  a  particle  of  mortar  or 
cement.  They  are  simply  close-joined,  and  so  accu- 
rately that  there  is  no  space  between  them  anywhere, 
and  they  support  one  another  according  to  the  scien- 
tific principle  of  the  arch. 

How  these  stones  were  raised  to  the  dizzy  height 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty  feet,  how  they  were  held 
in  place  in  the  central  arch  of  the  second  tier  whose 
span  is  seventy  feet,  no  man  understands  fully  to-day. 
This  arch — one  of  the  grandest  and  most  marvellous 
in  existence  —  is  so  broad  and  so  high  that  the 
whole  Maison  Carree,  the  Greek  temple,  could  be 
passed  through  it  without  touching  anywhere.  The 
arches  of  the  first  tier  that  rise  from  the  rocks  by  the 
river  are  lower  and  much  more  massive.  Those  of 
the  second    tier  s]3ring  upward  with  a  tremendous 


MONUMENTS    AT   nImES   AND    ARLES  197 

leap,  and  in  spite  of  their  extreme  solidity  they  pro- 
duce an  effect  of  almost  aerial  lightness  as  they  stand 
out  against  the  sky.  The  upper  arches  are  much 
more  numerous  and  a  great  deal  smaller.  These 
directly  supported  the  aqueduct  itself.  Their  effect 
architecturally  is  much  like  that  of  a  cornice,  or  some 
other  ornamental  work  crowiiing  the  immense  struct- 
ure beneath.  Mounting  to  the  top  and  crossing  the 
bridge  through  the  viaduct  there  are  grand  views  of 
the  river  and  the  wild  gorge,  and  the  construction 
of  the  whole  bridge  becomes  more  and  more  wonder- 
ful the  nearer  one  approaches  it. 

The  most  marvellous  view  of  all  is  to  be  had  on 
the  river-bank  on  the  other  side  from  that  where  the 
bridge  is  first  seen  in  coming  from  Nimes.  If  the 
sun  is  setting  it  makes  this  Roman  bridge  golden, 
glorious,  splendid,  as  if  it  were  touched  by  the 
very  spirit  of  Rome.  Yellow  arch  upon  yellow 
arch  rises  against  the  dazzling  blue  of  the  sky. 
Some  of  them  frame  in  clouds  of  deep  gray  or  pearly 
white.  Each  makes  its  own  picture,  and  all  of  them 
strongly  holding  hand  in  hand  seem  even  able  to 
bind  the  wild  mountains  together  and  keep  them 
captive,  quite  stilled  by  a  power  that  seems  almost 
as  great  as  their  own.  It  is  truly  a  most  suggestive 
monument  to  the  power  of  the  Imperial  city. 
Strength,  majesty,  the  golden  glow  in  the  hour  of 


198  MONUMENTS   AT   NIMES   AND   ARLES 

sunset  —  what  better  can  express  the  sphit  of  the 
Roman  Empire  ? 

Aries  has  been  called  a  Greek  city,  as  contrasted 
with  Nimes,  which  is  Roman  in  its  spirit.  Neverthe- 
less, there  is  an  amphitheatre  here  which  much  re- 
sembles that  at  Nimes,  though  it  is  not  so  well 
preserved.  In  the  Middle  Ages  this  great  building 
was  almost  a  town  in  itself.  Every  arch  was  made 
into  a  house.  It  was  only  necessary  to  fill  up  the 
opening.  The  roof  was  already  there.  With  a  low 
doorway  and  a  window,  the  mansion  was  complete. 
Houses  were  built  also  within,  where  the  seats  for- 
merly were.  Some  one  in  the  feudal  days  caught  the 
idea  that  such  a  place  must  have  been  meant  for  a 
fortress  and  therefore  four  great  square  towers  were 
built  on  the  top  of  the  arches  of  Aries'  arena  and  it 
became  a  mediaeval  stronghold.  In  most  cities  of 
these  days  the  houses  clung  as  closely  as  they  could 
to  the  castle,  but  here  there  was  a  more  intimate 
relation  still,  for  they  were  a  part  of  the  fort  itself  and 
many  were  within  its  walls. 

The  Greek  spirit  of  Aries  is  more  felt  in  the  thea- 
tre than  anywhere  else.  This  theatre  was  an  im- 
mense one.  It  is  said  that  sixteen  thousand  people 
could  be  seated  in  it.  Its  size  suggests  rather  Rome 
than  Greece,  but  the  two  columns  that  still  remain 
of  the  proscenium   are    Greek   indeed.     The    whole 


MONUMENTS    AT   NIMES    AND    ARLES  199 

row  of  them,  when  complete  with  cornice  above, 
must  have  been  a  marvel  of  beauty.  There  is  much 
to  be  studied  here,  because  so  many  of  the  details  are 
preserved  that  it  is  quite  possible  to  reconstruct  in 
the  mind  the  whole  building  as  it  used  to  be. 

Nevertheless,  there  is  nothing  else  at  Aries  com- 
parable in  beauty  for  one  moment  to  the  cloisters  of 
St.  Trophimus.  Here  are  four  sides  of  a  cloistered 
court,  and  each  one  represents  the  art  of  a  century, 
the  eleventh,  twelfth,  thirteenth,  and  fourteenth,  and 
there  are  also  Roman  and  Grecian  pillars  and  pilas- 
ters used  in  the  construction  of  this  wonderful  place. 
In  some  way  or  other  the  different  styles,  the  hetero- 
geneous materials,  are  joined  together  in  such  wise 
that  they  form  one  of  the  most  beautiful  cloistered 
courts  in  the  world.  There  is  one  more  lovely  by  the 
church  of  St.  John  at  Toledo.  That  at  Mont  St. 
Michel  is  also  a  most  wonderful  work  of  Gothic  art, 
but  apart  from  these  two  I  know  of  none  more 
exquisite  than  this.  The  Romanesque  and  the 
Gothic  builder  seem  here  to  strive  together  in  a 
generous  emulation,  each  seeking  for  what  is  most 
artistic.  The  sculptures  of  the  different  capitals 
are  most  interesting.  They  are  so  numerous,  so 
varied,  that  it  would  need  almost  a  volume  to 
describe  them  in  detail.  The  general  effect  of  them 
is  one  of   an  almost  incredible  richness. 


200  MONUMENTS   AT   nImES   AND   AELES 

To  find  the  beauty  at  Aries  one  must  come  to 
these  cloisters.  The  arena  and  the  theatre,  impres- 
sive, interesting  as  they  are,  are  not  comparable  in 
charm  to  this  work  of  Christian  art,  full  of  thought, 
inspired  by  a  most  devoted,  religious  spirit,  and  yet 
telling  of  the  poetry  of  this  sunny  land  of  Provence. 


CHAPTER  XXII 

BOURGES 

In  the  very  old  French  towns  it  is  natural  to 
expect  some  picturesqueness  of  architecture,  some 
quaintness  not  to  be  found  in  modern  cities.  This 
is,  nevertheless,  not  the  case  except  in  certain 
places.  There  are  streets,  as  at  Dinan  and  Blois, 
where  the  buildings  of  the  olden  time  remain, 
and  these  streets  are  most  interesting.  There  are 
some  parts  of  Bourges  also  where  there  are  houses 
with  pointed  gables  and  overhanging  eaves.  These 
are  charming;  but  apart  from  them  the  streets  of 
the  town  are  not  of  great  interest.  They  ought  to 
be  to  counteract  the  effect  of  the  dirt  and  the  bad 
smells  all  about,  but  the  city  has  been  largely  mod- 
ernized in  its  buildings,  though  not  in  its  drainage. 

The  principal  glory  of  Bourges  is  its  cathedral. 
The  house  of  Jacques  Coeur,  now  the  Palais  de 
Justice,  comes  next  in  interest,  and  then  comes  the 
home  of  the  celebrated  lawyer,  Cujas,  now  a  museum. 
These  three  buildings  are  quite  enough  to  make  any 
town  famous,  even  if  there  were  nothing  else. 

201 


202  BOUEGES 

The  cathedral  of  Bourges  is  one  of  the  most  pecu- 
liar in  France,  because  it  has  no  transepts.  It  is  also 
one  of  the  most  remarkable  in  the  number  and  variety 
of  its  stained  glass  windows,  many  of  which  are  very 
ancient. 

The  aim  of  the  French  Gothic  cathedral  builders 
has  usually  been  to  produce  a  profound  impression 
with  their  facades.  At  Amiens,  at  Rouen,  at  Notre 
Dame,  even  at  Tours,  this  effect  has  been  successfully 
produced,  but  such  is  not  the  case  at  Bourges.  The 
facade  is  sadly  lacking  in  harmony.  The  towers  are 
quite  dissimilar  in  style.  The  early  one  at  the  right 
is  fine  twelfth-century  Gothic,  but  it  is  unfinished, 
hardly  rising  above  the  level  of  the  roof.  It  is,  more- 
over, marred  by  a  curious  building  placed  against  the 
side  of  it,  the  use  of  which  I  cannot  understand, 
which  forces  itself  most  unpleasantly  into  the  general 
contour  of  the  fa9ade  with  which  it  really  has  noth- 
ing whatever  to  do.  The  other  tower,  called  the 
"  butter  tower,"  because  built  by  money  paid  for  in- 
dulgences to  eat  butter  in  Lent,  is  much  higher,  but 
it  is  bad  in  style,  with  round  arches,  and  florid  orna- 
mentation quite  out  of  keeping  with  true  Gothic 
work.  Beside  all  this  the  architect  wished  an  im- 
mense window  at  the  west  end  of  his  church,  and 
therefore  he  had  to  use  a  number  of  heavy  buttresses 
to  support  his  wall  and  roof.      These  break  up  the 


THE    CATHEDRAL   OF    BOURGES 


BOURGES  203 

horizontal  lines  of  the  fa9ade,  and  do  not  substitute 
any  beauty  of  the  perpendicular  manner  of  construc- 
tion because  they  are  not  ornamented,  and  do  not 
terminate  in  exquisite  pinnacles,  gradually  diminish- 
ing in  size,  as  is  the  case  at  Tours. 

But  after  this  first  disappointment  as  to  the  gen- 
eral effect,  comes  a  thrill  of  wonder  and  admiration 
for  the  details.  There  are  five  portals  —  all  most 
profusely  ornamented  with  sculpture.  The  richness, 
delicacy,  and  expressiveness  of  this  work  can  hardly 
be  surpassed  in  the  carvings  of  any  cathedral  fa9ade 
in  France.  The  arrangement  and  the  subjects  are 
about  the  same  as  at  Amiens,  Notre  Dame,  and  Tours. 
There  was  a  tradition  about  this  that  came  from  the 
Norman  days  before  the  Gothic  builder  began  his 
work.  Here,  however,  there  is  a  charm  in  the  exe- 
cution so  marked  as  plainly  to  tell  that  some  really 
great  sculptor  did  this  carving.  Nobody  knows  his 
name.  Nobody  knows  who  built  the  cathedral  — but 
this  is  often  the  case  in  Gothic  buildings.  If  what 
the  artist  did  could  live,  he  himself  seems  to  have 
cared  little  whether  his  name  would  live  in  fame. 
There  are  carvings  on  the  six  arches  of  the  central 
portal  of  Bourges  cathedral  worthy  of  a  place  even  in 
the  cloisters  of  San  Juan  de  los  Reyes  at  Toledo. 
Figures  of  angels  and  of  saints,  foliage  of  vines  and 
trees,  cluster  about  these  lofty  arches  in  a  way  most 


204  BOURGES 

fascinating,  full  of  the  grace  and  simplicity  of  the 
highest  art. 

This  central  portal  is  so  ^Yonderful  that  it  should 
be  spoken  of  more  in  detail.  Each  arch  has  its  pro- 
cession of  figures  from  the  top  of  the  supporting 
column  to  the  keystone,  and  each  figure  has  a  carved 
canop}^  above  it  as  though  it  were  in  a  shrine.  There 
are  seventy-six  of  these  figures.  The  inner  arch, 
nearest  the  central  figure  of  the  Christ,  and  the  one 
next  to  it  are  given  to  the  angels,  the  heavenly  choir 
who  sing  the  Saviour's  praise.  Then  come  the  apos- 
tles, then  the  martyrs,  each  with  his  palm  branch, 
and  then  the  saints.  On  the  outermost  arch  are  the 
kings  of  Israel.  These  had  a  nobler  place  in  the 
fagade  of  Amiens,  but  even  placed  as  they  are  here 
they  are  fine  and  full  of  expression.  The  central 
subject  in  the  tympanum  is  the  best  of  all  from  the 
artist's  point  of  view.  In  the  lower  panel  the  dead 
are  lifting  the  stones  from  their  graves.  The  good 
arise  with  folded  hands  and  meek  expression.  The 
wicked  are  more  violent  in  action,  but  as  works  of 
sculpture  they  are  more  interesting  because  the  anat- 
omy is  wonderfully  studied  considering  its  very  early 
date.  On  one  side  of  the  next  panel  above  the  good 
are  being  led  to  Paradise.  St.  Peter  has  his  arms  full 
of  little  children  whom  he  holds  in  a  fold  of  his  robe. 
The  grown-up  good  people,  with  a  most  self-satisfied 


BOURGES  205 

smirk,  are  walking  toward  the  saint.  But  here,  as 
below,  the  action,  the  real  life  of  the  figures  is  on  the 
side  of  the  wicked,  who  are  being  plunged  by  most 
extraordinary  devils  into  a  cauldron  which  two  imps 
are  heating  by  blowing  the  fire  beneath  it.  Between 
the  two  groups  an  angel  holds  the  scales  of  justice, 
and  with  one  hand  draws  to  him  a  little  child,  a 
lovely  girl,  whom  a  hideous  devil  is  trying  to  seize. 
Above,  in  the  upper  panel,  is  the  Christ  with  attend- 
ant saints  and  angels.  Though  the  subject  has  been 
so  often  treated,  no  sculptor  of  the  early  French 
cathedrals  has  given  to  it  more  expressiveness  and 
finish  in  detail.  The  groups  in  the  other  four  por- 
tals and  their  arches  are  very  remarkable  also,  but 
not  so  well  preserved. 

These  five  portals  are  the  glory  of  the  exterior  of 
Bourges  cathedral.  Apart  from  them,  its  impression 
is  that  of  an  immense  mass  of  stone,  not  harmonious 
and  not  beautiful.  The  buttresses  are  too  numerous 
and  not  light  enough.  They  interfere  with  each 
other  and  greatly  mar  the  general  effect. 

On  entering  the  church,  the  first  impression  is  of 
immense  length  and  height.  There  is  nothing  to 
interfere  Avith  the  vista  from  one  end  to  the  other  — 
not  a  choir  screen,  not  a  break  of  crossing  transepts. 
The  window  of  the  Lady  Chapel  seems  in  some  dim 
distance  not  accurately  to  be  measured  in  the  mind. 


206  BOURGES 

The  columns  rise  to  a  great  height;  above  them  is 
a  triforium,  above  that  is  the  clerestory,  above  that 
again  is  the  vaulted  roof.  So  it  is  from  end  to  end 
of  the  great  church. 

Then  comes  a  feeling  of  disappointment.  The 
columns  of  the  nave  are  too  high  and  too  thin. 
Their  capitals  are  too  small,  and  do  not  project 
enousfh.  The  triforium  has  not  been  allowed  suf- 
ficient  space  and  seems  too  low,  nor  is  it  beautiful 
in  its  architecture.  The  windows  far  above  are 
beautiful,  but  they  would  have  been  better  if  they 
had  been  brought  lower  down.  Therefore,  the 
lover  of  architecture,  who  has  come  to  Bourges, 
stands  in  the  nave,  troubled  in  his  mind,  wonder- 
ing why  a  church  should  be  so  famous  that  has 
such  glaring  faults.  If  he  turns  away  with  such 
an  impression,  he  makes  a  great  mistake.  Let  him 
step  into  the  aisles.  There  are  two  of  them  on 
each  side.  Let  him  go  there  when  the  morning 
sun  is  illuminating  the  stained  windows. 

There  are  few  more  inspiring  views  in  all  Gothic 
architecture.  The  outer  aisle  is  low,  but  of  most 
magnificent  construction,  —  great  piers  with  clus- 
tered columns  supporting  a  vaulted  roof  quite  in 
harmony  with  their  lines  and  their  strength,  and 
chapels  at  the  side  luminous  with  the  light  that 
comes   softened   through  the  glass  with  its  infinite 


BOURGES  207 

variety  of  color.  But  there  is  another  aisle  more 
than  twice  as  high  as  the  outer  one,  —  very  narrow, 
very  lofty.  It  stretches  away  clear  to  the  end  of  the 
church  and  bends  around  the  choir  back  of  the  high 
altar.  At  the  end  of  it  glows  a  window,  red  as  a 
ruby.  At  the  end  of  the  outer  one  is  the  blue  of 
a  sapphire  in  another  window.  To  stand  by  the 
immense  columns  near  the  portal  and  look  upon 
these  two  aisles  at  once  is  like  opening  some 
mediceval  romance. 

This  is  not  all  it  suggests.  The  procession  of  the 
low  aisle  to  the  higher,  and  thence  to  the  towering 
nave,  seems  to  lead  from  the  privac}^  of  the  chapels 
that  are  still  without  the  lower  aisle  to  the  full  light 
of  the  church.  From  the  private  praj-er  and  the 
confessional,  the  worshipper  is  led  by  the  very  spirit 
of  the  building  to  the  great  congregation,  the  high 
altar,  and  the  mass. 

In  the  aisles  is  the  beauty  of  Bourges  cathedral, 
and  in  the  stained  glass  windows,  too ;  for  these  are 
no  less  wonderful  than  those  of  Chartres,  and  even 
more  interesting  historically. 

The  crypt  is  a  most  noble  structure  —  one  of  the 
finest  in  Europe.  Here  are  some  remarkable  monu- 
ments, among  them  an  effigy  of  the  Duke  de  Berri, 
called  the  Magnificent,  who  was  nearly  related  to 
Charles  VII. 


208  BOURGES 

There  are  not  many  monuments  in  the  church. 
There  is  nothing  to  tell  that  Louis  XI.,  who  was  born 
at  Bourges,  was  baptized  in  this  cathedral.  That 
king  whose  dungeons  are  at  Loches,  whose  hangman 
lived  hard  by  his  castle  of  Plessis-les-Tours,  whose 
ability  humbled  the  nobles  and  made  France  a  king- 
dom, when  he  was  a  little  innocent  child  was  brought 
into  this  towering  church.  The  light  of  its  glorious 
windows  shone  upon  him,  and  the  priest  put  the 
holy  water  and  the  consecrated  oil  upon  his  brow, 
and  signed  him  with  the  sign  of  the  cross. 

Here,  too,  Charles  VII.  came  when  he  was  only 
"  Le  Roi  de  Bourges "  before  Joan  of  Arc  had 
delivered  him  from  the  English.  Perhaps  he  even 
dared  to  worship  here  after  his  craven  spirit  had  let 
her  be  burnt  at  the  stake  without  one  attempt  to 
rescue  her.  Perhaps  he  even  came  here  to  pray 
after  his  dastardly  treatment  of  his  noble  minister  of 
finance,  Jacques  Coeur,  who  is  far  more  the  hero  of 
Bourges  than  the  king  who  caused  his  banishment 
and  stole  his  money. 

Jacques  Coeur  built  a  chapel  in  the  cathedral.  It 
is  now  the  sacristy.  It  must  have  been  very  beauti- 
ful in  his  day,  but  now  it  is  filled  with  woodwork  of 
a  much  later  date  which  is  neither  interesting  nor 
beautiful. 

Tliere  is,  however,  a  monument  in  Bourges  to  this 


BOURGES  209 

famous  man,  and  that  is  his  house.  It  is  called  a 
house ;  it  must  have  been  a  palace.  Now  it  is  the 
Palais  de  Justice.  The  courts  are  here  from  the 
Justice  of  the  Peace  up  to  the  Court  of  Appeals. 
Strange  that  justice  should  have  come  to  take  up  its 
abode  in  the  house  of  one  condemned  by  the  courts 
with  such  shameful  injustice  at  the  command  of  the 
king,  and  by  the  wish  of  his  courtiers. 

The  house  is  built  partly  upon  the  old  Roman 
walls,  and  two  of  the  Roman  towers  are  incorporated 
in  it.  From  that  side  it  seems  an  immense  fortified 
place  and  has  the  cone-topped  towers  that  mark  the 
early  French  architecture  long  before  the  Renas- 
cence. But  the  other  side  is  the  one  really  charac- 
teristic of  the  building  as  architects  knew  it.  This 
is  a  most  beautiful  specimen  of  early  Renascence 
architecture,  for  while  it  is  not  harmonious  in  style 
there  are  exquisite  touches  in  it.  The  turret  at  the 
left  of  the  portal  is  a  rarely  graceful  work  of  this 
period.  It  has  the  merit  of  not  being  too  profusely 
ornamented,  while  it  has  a  great  deal  of  the  richness 
so  characteristic  of  this  style. 

The  portal  is  even  more  beautiful.  In  the  pro- 
jecting balcony  above  it  was  once  a  statue  of 
Charles  VII.  It  is  hardly  to  be  regretted  that  this 
was  destroyed  at  the  time  of  the  Revolution.  It  is 
to  be  deeply  regretted,  however,  that  the  statue  of 


210  BOURGES 

Jacques  Coeur  himself,  whicli  was  in  a  similar  bal- 
cony on  the  inner  side  of  the  portal,  was  destroyed 
at  the  same  time.  True,  there  is  a  white  marble 
statue  of  him  before  the  house,  but  this  is  a  modern 
work,  and  so  bad  that  it  is  a  great  pity  it  should 
occupy  the  place  it  does.  For  this  man  was  a  great 
man.  He  was  a  conqueror  in  the  peaceful  world  of 
trade.  He  was  a  statesman  who  managed  with  con- 
summate ability  the  finances  of  his  country  at  a  time 
when  that  country  was  almost  overwhelmed.  He 
was  a  patriot  who  placed  all  his  wealth  at  the  dis- 
posal of  his  king  in  the  hour  of  need.  Within  the 
house  are  many  sculptures,  which  tell  of  his  domes- 
tic life.  He  seems  to  have  been  a  man  who  loved 
his  home,  and  was  devotedly  attached  to  his  wife. 
Over  one  chimneypiece  in  the  great  hall  there  are 
three  panels,  each  representing  the  merchant  and 
his  wife  playing  some  game  together.  In  the  centre 
pamel  it  is  chess ;  the  others  are  not  quite  so  plainly 
to  be  made  out. 

In  the  many  carvings  of  this  house,  other  domestic 
scenes  are  represented.  Over  the  kitchen  entrance 
are  figures  of  servants  cleaning  pans  and  preparing 
meats  for  the  table.  On  the  central  tower  of  the 
court  are  many  figures  of  those  who  served  the 
master  of  the  house  in  his  home  and  his  business ; 
and  there  are  curious  palms  and  orange  and  lemon 


BOURGES  211 

trees  to  tell  of  his  traffic  with  the  Orient.  Jacques 
Cceur  must  have  been  something  of  a  soldier,  too, 
for  his  motto  is,  "  A  vaillants  Coeurs  rien  impossible  "  ; 
and  he  must  also  have  been  religious,  for  his  coat  of 
arms  consists  of  a  heart  and  a  shell,  the  latter  being 
the  emblem  of  a  pilgrimage  to  the  shrine  of  St. 
James.  Moreover,  he  built  a  beautiful  chapel  in 
his  home,  beside  the  one  at  the  cathedral.  It  is  said 
that  a  man's  house  is  in  a  way  the  expression  of  his 
character;  and  I  think  this  is  emphatically  true  of 
the  superb,  yet  not  too  richly  ornamented,  mansion  of 
the  master-merchant  of  Bourges. 

It  is  true  in  some  degree  also  of  the  home  of 
Cujas,  the  great  lawyer  and  learned  professor.  This 
is  an  admirable  specimen  of  early  Renascence  archi- 
tecture. The  home-feeling  has  largely  left  it,  be- 
cause it  is  now  a  museum  filled  with  very  rare  and 
curious  things,  some  of  them  of  great  interest.  The 
most  interesting  are  the  prie-dieu  of  the  unfortunate 
Jeanne  de  Valois  and  a  death  mask  of  her,  and  the 
portraits  of  Jacques  Coeur  and  his  wife.  The  whole 
second  story,  which  is  very  large,  was  devoted  to 
the  library  and  writing-room  of  the  learned  pro- 
fessor;  and  it  is  mostly  because  of  the  amplitude 
of  these  accommodations  that  the  house  can  still  be 
somewhat  associated  with  the  life  of  its  occupant. 
The  raftered  ceilings  are  fine,  and  so  are  the  chimney- 


212  BOXJRGES 

pieces.  University  professors  and  lawyers  must  have 
been  well  paid  in  those  days,  for  the  whole  house  is 
on  a  scale  of  great  magnificence,  though  not  nearly 
so  extensive  as  that  of  the  merchant-prince. 

The  house  where  Louis  XI.  was  born  is  a  very 
fine  example  of  the  architecture  immediately  pre- 
ceding the  French  Renascence,  almost  as  interesting 
to  an  architect  as  either  of  the  other  great  houses 
of  Bourges. 

The  whole  impression  of  the  place  is  emphatically 
a  thought  of  medisevalism ;  for  it  is  produced  by  the 
overpowering  size  and  glory  of  the  church,  the 
magnificence  of  the  homes  where  the  rich  dwelt,  and 
the  narrow  streets  and  poor  houses  where  lived  those 
not  fortunate  enough  to  be  kings,  ecclesiastics, 
merchant-princes,  or  lawyers. 


CHAPTER    XXm 

THE  CATHEDRAL   OF   RHEIMS 

The  cathedral  of  Rheiins,  the  church  of  the  French 
kings,  dedicated  to  the  Mother  of  the  King  of  kings 
who  sits  in  serene  majesty  over  its  portal,  seems  even 
among  the  other  great  cathedrals  the  queen  of  them 
all.  Not  even  the  fagade  of  Amiens  is  more  im- 
pressive. There  is  no  fagade  in  all  France,  perhaps 
in  all  the  world,  so  wonderful  as  this  one.  Here  the 
Gothic  builder  has  come  nearer  to  a  perfect  ex- 
pression of  his  thought  than  anywhere  else,  if  the 
apse  of  Amiens  be  excepted.  Here  is  the  most 
perfect  beauty  of  line,  the  most  exquisite  ornament, 
always  subservient  to  the  strength  of  the  support- 
ing parts  but  always  aiding  their  power  by  the  help 
of  its  beauty.  In  no  other  fagade  are  the  towers 
pierced  quite  as  they  are  here,  for  the  lancet-windows 
in  them  are  open  to  the  day.  There  is  no  glass  there, 
and  through  them  can  be  seen  the  flying  buttresses 
that  support  the  roof  of  the  nave.  In  Notre  Dame, 
although  the  towers  are  pierced  in  a  somewhat  similar 

213 


214  THE   CATHEDRAL   OF   EHEIMS 

way,  the  flying  buttresses  cannot  be  seen  as  here. 
This  effect,  unique  so  far  as  I  know,  becomes  even 
more  extraordinary  when  it  is  remembered  that  these 
towers  were  meant  to  be  carried  to  nearly  twice  their 
present  height. 

It  seems  almost  impossible  that  this  masonry, 
which  hardly  looks  like  masonry  at  all  because  it  is 
so  full  of  sun  and  air,  could  be  able  to  support  great 
spires  above,  but  such  was  the  architect's  thought. 
There  were  to  be  seven  spires  of  the  church  of 
Rheims ;  now  there  are  none  complete  as  they  were 
originally  designed. 

The  first  impression  of  the  facade  is  so  over- 
powering that  it  is  only  possible  to  admire  it,  with- 
out any  attempt  to  study  its  details.  For  a  time  it 
is  best  to  let  the  glorious  beauty  have  its  way,  and 
the  intense  religious  spirit  of  it  still  the  thought  and 
uplift  the  mind  with  its  own  inspiration.  Here,  as 
at  Amiens,  it  is  best  to  be  silent,  seeking  no  explana- 
tion of  the  parts  that  together  join  in  forming  this 
beautiful  whole,  but  hoping  that  the  spell  of  its 
almost  inexplicable  charm,  its  deeply  religious  spirit, 
will  remain  in  the  mind  and  in  the  heart  always. 

After  a  while  it  is  necessary  to  study  more  closely 
this  facade  of  the  kings  and  the  queens,  that  it  may 
be  known  how  this  great  thing  has  been  done.  All 
the  meanings  of   it   cannot   be   understood   without 


THE   CATHEDRAL   OF   RHEIMS  215 

study,  but  most  of  them  are  not  very  difficult  to 
comprehend.  The  position  of  the  kings  at  the 
highest  part  of  the  faQade  until  the  towers  begin  to 
rise  from  it  is  very  significant.  At  Amiens  their 
position  was  lofty  enough,  but  here  it  is  far  nearer 
the  sky  line.  The  builder  must  have  meant  to 
sue^est  that  the  kings  were  indeed  the  divinely 
anointed,  called  by  the  Lord  to  rule  over  the  people. 

The  figures  of  these  monarchs  are  so  majestic  in 
their  expression,  so  grandly  conceived,  so  imposing 
in  form,  so  perfectly  placed  in  their  towering  niches 
crowned  by  pinnacles  most  richly  ornamented,  that 
they  do  succeed  in  bringing  to  the  mind  an  almost 
irresistible  conviction  that  kings  are  nearer  heaven 
than  other  people. 

This  is  not  the  most  inspiring  thought  a  church 
could  give,  but  it  was  well  to  suggest  it  here  over  the 
entrance  to  the  place  of  the  coronation  of  the  kings 
of  France.  By  so  doing,  it  is  quite  possible  the 
architect  meant  to  teach  a  lesson,  unfortunately  not 
always  learned  by  kings,  —  the  lesson  of  their  respon- 
sibility to  a  higher  ruler. 

For  this  reason,  doubtless,  the  stories  of  David  and 
of  Solomon  are  told  in  the  sculptures  below,  and 
many  other  stories  are  there  told  which  might  help 
these  exalted  people  to  know  and  to  do  their  duties 
to  their  kingdom.     In  some  of  these  sculptures  there 


216  THE   CATHEDRAL   OF   EHEIMS 

is  a  spirit  that  strongly  recalls  Michael  Angelo's 
David,  the  stripling  about  to  be  a  king,  not  knowing 
it,  but  full  of  faith  in  the  one  King. 

The  beauty  and  the  meaning  of  the  exterior  of 
Rheims  cathedral  are  by  no  means  confined  to  the 
facade.  There  is  a  procession  of  saints  and  angels 
that  goes  on  all  about  the  church  like  the  frescoes  of 
Flandrin  in  St.  Germain  des  Pres.  There  are  many 
angels  with  outstretched  wings  in  the  pinnacled 
shrines  that  seem  like  chapels  uplifted  toward  the 
sky,  who  have  not  gone  far  away  from  the  kings  — 
only  far  enough  to  guard  the  church  in  wliich  they 
are  to  be  crowned.  They  surround  it  on  every  side. 
They  brood  over  it.  They  wish  to  protect  it  and  to 
help  those  who  are  here  consecrated  to  the  task  of 
influencing  and  directing  the  life  of  a  great  people. 
These  angels  are  a  triumph  of  Gothic  art.  The  sug- 
gestion they  give  is  poetic  and  religious.  The  long 
succession  of  pinnacled  shrines  in  which  they  stand 
is  ornamental  in  the  highest  degree,  and  helps  more 
than  anything  else  about  it  to  make  the  side  view  of 
Rlieims  one  of  the  most  beautiful  in  the  world. 

Not  only  are  the  kings  thus  uplifted  and  protected, 
but  they  are  also  taught  their  duty  as  Christians. 
Tlie  most  prominent  place  in  all  the  sculptural  work 
of  the  faQade  is  given  to  the  baptism  of  Clovis.  The 
king  is  in  the  baptismal  font — half  immersed  there. 


THE   CATHEDRAL   OF   EHEIMS  217 

He  is  in  the  very  centre  of  the  upper  part  of  the 
faQade,  and  directl}^  above  him  rises  its  highest  and 
most  richly  ornamented  pinnacle.  There  is  nothing 
in  the  church  higher  than  that  except  the  towers. 

It  is  St.  Remy  who  baptizes  the  king.  There 
are  other  saints  about  him.  St.  Thierry  holds  the 
archbishop's  cross.  A  king  who  had  preceded  Clovis 
holds  the  sceptre.  St.  Montan  has  in  his  hands  the 
royal  mantle.  The  scales  of  justice  are  held  up  by 
another  king,  who  shows  them  to  the  monarch  who 
is  just  entering  upon  his  work  as  a  Christian  ruler. 
Below  are  the  soldiers  in  armor,  who  were  baptized 
with  their  king. 

This  subject  was  thought  to  be  so  important  that 
not  only  does  it  hold  the  most  prominent  place  on 
the  facade,  but  it  is  also  repeated  in  smaller  figures 
and  a  different  arrangement  over  the  portal  of  the 
north  entrance. 

Beneath  this  portal  is  a  figure  of  the  Saviour, 
wonderful  in  dignity  and  spirituality,  a  veritable 
masterpiece  of  the  sculpture  of  those  early  days. 
It  should  have  a  more  prominent  place  than  is  gen- 
erally given  to  it  in  describing  the  sculptures  of  this 
exterior.  The  reason  is  that  the  portal  at  the  side 
has  no  such  prominence  as  that  of  the  fagade, 
where  the  IMadonna  sits  enthroned  because  it  is 
her  church.     As  a  work  of  sculpture  the   figure    of 


218  THE   CATHEDRAL   OF   KHEIMS 

the  Saviour  is  far  finer  than  that  of  the  Virgin 
Mary.  It  has  more  of  the  modern  spirit,  the  delicacy 
of  touch,  the  intellectual  quality,  that  were  not  fully 
developed  until  much  later  in  French  art. 

All  that  I  have  said  thus  far  has  to  do  with  the 
exterior,  nor  does  it  nearly  even  suggest  what  ought 
to  be  said  of  that  part  of  this  royal  and  religiously 
inspired  building. 

Within  are  glories  harder  to  tell  about  than  those 
without.  The  nave  is  one  of  the  most  perfect  ever 
built  by  a  Gothic  architect.  The  columns,  the  arches 
they  support,  the  triforium,  the  clerestory,  are  in  such 
perfect  relation  of  form,  proportion,  and  color  that 
they  seem  like  a  realized  dream.  But  even  such 
forms  and  colors  as  these  are  not  the  chief  beauty 
of  this  interior. 

Far  behind  the  high  altar  is  a  place  whence  can 
be  seen  the  windows  toward  the  west.  In  no  other 
church  that  I  know  has  such  an  effect  been  produced. 
The  western  wall  seems  all  glass,  held  in  place  in 
some  mysterious  way  not  to  be  understood  within  the 
church.  It  is  not  meant  that  the  supporting  part 
should  be  seen  from  this  side.  The  thought  of  the 
builder  was  that  this  western  wall  of  his  church, 
should  be  not  a  wall  but  the  most  magnificent  glory 
of  color  that  could  possibly  be  attained.  This  has  to 
do  with  the  royal  spirit  of  the  church,  for  it  seems 


THE   CATHEDRAL   OF   RHEIMS  219 

one  vast  collection  of  gems.  The  ruby  and  the 
emerald  are  most  prominent,  but  the  sapphire  and 
the  topaz  have  their  place  also.  There  is  no  re- 
production possible  either  in  words  or  pictures  of 
such  a  thing  as  this.  Even  in  looking  at  it  one 
wonders  if  it  can  be  really  there. 

The  best  place  from  which  to  see  it  is  almost  the 
very  spot  where  stood  Charles  VII.  to  receive  his 
crown,  while  Joan  of  Arc  stood  beside  him.  This 
maiden  of  France  had  truly  a  right  to  be  in  this 
church  whose  porch  the  Virgin  guards,  whose  tran- 
sept is  sculptured  without  with  the  story  of  that 
Virgin's  assumption.  The  triumph  of  Joan  of  Arc 
hardly  seems  to  be  one  that  young  girls  would 
naturally  seek,  but  it  was  the  Virgin  whom  she  saw 
in  her  visions  at  Domremy.  Now  her  work  is  done, 
and  there  is  ag^ain  a  kingdom  of  France.  When  the 
crown  of  the  land  she  loved  had  been  placed  on  the 
king's  head,  it  seemed  to  her  that  it  would  be  better 
now  to  go  back  again  to  her  sheep  and  her  orchard 
at  the  old  home  where  she  had  seen  the  visions  which 
had  meant  so  much  to  France.  It  was  a  most 
touching  thought  of  truest  humility,  but  the  life 
of  this  inspired  girl  was  to  have  its  tragic  end, 
and  the  peaceful  peasant  home  was  not  to  shelter 
her  more. 

Many  another  king  has  been  crowned  here  since 


220  THE   CATHEDRAL   OF   EHEIMS 

that  day.  The  splendor  attendant  on  such  cere- 
monies is  attested  by  the  richness  of  the  robes  in  the 
sacristy,  and  the  magnificence  of  the  gifts  given  by 
the  kings  at  the  time  of  their  coronation.  Some  of 
these  gifts  are  very  curious.  There  are  relics,  one 
of  which  seems  a  singularly  appropriate  present  from 
a  king  of  France,  whose  crown  was  not  always  easy 
on  his  head,  for  it  is  a  thorn  of  the  Saviour's  crown 
of  thorns.  One  of  the  kings  gave  a  most  curious 
representation  of  St.  Ursula  and  her  virgins  in  their 
ship.     This  is  made  almost  entirely  of  silver. 

Henry  II.  gave  a  most  remarkable  little  group  of 
figures,  the  subject  of  which  is  the  scene  of  the 
resurrection.  The  Saviour  sits  upon  the  edge  of 
the  tomb.  His  figure  is  of  silver.  The  Roman 
soldier  sleeps  in  front  of  the  opened  sepulchre.  This 
is  a  beautifully  modelled  gold  figure  attributed  to 
Benvenuto  Cellini.  This  king  had  the  almost 
incredible  irreverence  to  ornament  this  work  in 
places  with  the  crescent,  the  emblem  of  Diane  de 
Poitiers.  He  did  the  same  thing  in  the  chapel  at 
Fontainebleau.  His  human  and  spiritual  loves  seem 
to  have  been  most  strangely  mixed  together. 

Many  of  the  treasures  here  were  destroyed  at  the 
time  of  the  Revolution,  but  enough  remain  to  show 
what  the  custom  of  the  French  kings  was  at  the  time 
of  their  coronation.     They  gave  superb  robes  to  be 


THE   CATHEDRAL   OF   KHEIMS  221 

worn  by  the  prelate  who  crowned  them,  and  costly 
vessels  for  the  service  of  the  altar.  The  chasuble 
used  by  the  prelate  who  crowned  Louis  XIV.  is  of 
silver  and  gold,  ornamented  by  six  pearls  of  purest 
lustre,  each  one  of  them  nearly  as  large  as  the  egg  of 
a  robin.  The  treasures  given  by  Charles  X.  —  the 
last  kingf  crowned  here  —  are  more  numerous  than 
any  others  now  remaining  in  the  sacristy.  They  are 
splendid,  almost  all  of  gold,  but  in  artistic  workman- 
ship they  do  not  equal  those  of  the  earlier  centuries. 
When  the  kings  came  to  Rheims  to  be  crowned 
they  dwelt  in  the  palace  of  the  archbishop,  close 
beside  the  church.  In  that  palace  is  a  grand  hall 
where  the  coronation  banquet  took  place.  There  are 
reception  rooms,  and  sleeping-rooms,  salons,  and  a 
salle  des  gardes  for  the  soldiers  who  have  always 
been  needed  about  the  person  of  a  French  monarch. 
There  is  a  chapel  where  high  mass  was  celebrated  by 
the  prelate  for  his  royal  guest.  In  this  chapel  now 
stands  a  statue  of  Urban  II.,  the  French  Pope,  who 
is  represented  in  the  act  of  proclaiming  the  first 
crusade.  This  statue  was  not  here  when  Philip 
Augustus  was  crowned.  Perhaps  he  would  not  have 
deserted  Richard  Coeur  de  Lion  if  he  had  learned  its 
lesson  of  enthusiasm  and  faith  stronger  than  life  itself. 
The  statue  is  not  a  masterpiece  of  sculpture,  but  it 
has  in  it  a  most  marvellous  spirit  of  religious  fervor. 


222  THE   CATHEDRAL   OF   EHEIMS 

In  these  halls  —  in  this  chapel  —  were  the  kings. 
Joan  of  Arc  did  not  stay  here.  She  was  the  real 
arbiter  of  her  country's  destinies  then ;  but  royal 
apartments  were  not  for  her. 

Now  there  are  no  more  kings  crowned  at  Rheims. 
It  may  be  that  there  never  will  be  any  more.  The 
people  have  the  power  they  wished  for.  May  it  be 
hoped  that  in  this  royal  church  they  will  seek  a 
blessing  on  that  power,  and  that  it  may  be  granted 
to  them ! 

If  they  come  flocking  thither  in  the  evening  hour 
just  as  the  sun  is  setting,  they  will  find  the  fa9ade 
transformed,  filled  through  and  through  with  the 
glory  of  the  kings  and  the  saints  who  have  passed 
away.  It  is  golden  —  almost  like  the  ruddy  gold  of 
Rome  that  belongs  with  the  diadems  of  kings.  Each 
statue  wakes  to  life.  The  coldness  of  the  old  stone 
is  gone.  The  sunshine  of  the  glorious  days  of  French 
history  has  banished  it.  The  light  of  religion  in 
which  dwell  the  saints  and  the  angels  is  upon  it. 
The  tender  spirit  of  the  Mother  is  there  and  the  up- 
lifting power  of  the  Christ  is  in  it.  In  such  a  light 
as  this  the  fa9ade  of  Rheims  cathedral  must  have 
given  a  benediction  and  an  inspiration  to  the  kings 
who  entered  this  golden  portal  to  receive  their  crowns 
before  the  altar. 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

ST.   DENIS 

To  Rheims  the  kings  came  for  tlieir  coronation ;  at 
St.  Denis  their  bodies  were  laid  to  rest.  In  the  one 
church  is  the  splendor  surrounding  a  king  whose 
reign  has  just  begun  with  high  hope  that  it  may  be 
well  for  his  people  and  himself  while  he  holds  the 
sceptre.  In  the  other  church  is  the  sadness  that 
comes  with  the  end  of  human  life,  the  regret  that 
even  consecrated  kings  fail  often  in  doing  their  sim- 
ple duty. 

St.  Denis  is  a  very  old  church.  The  first  building 
was  a  basilica  erected  by  Christians  as  soon  as  they 
were  allowed  to  build  churches  in  France.  It  was 
built  to  commemorate  the  martyrdom  of  St.  Denis 
and  his  companions,  —  the  priest  Rustique  and  the 
deacon  Eleuthere.  Afterward  St.  Genevieve  caused 
it  to  be  rebuilt  about  the  end  of  the  fifth  century. 
Dagobert  I.,  in  fulfilment  of  a  vow  to  the  holy  mar- 
tyrs, built  a  still  greater  church  upon  the  same  site. 
This   lasted   a  century  and  a  half^  and  then  King 

223 


224  ST.    DENIS 

Pepin  commenced  a  new  church,  which  Charlemagne 
finished. 

This  church  was  destroyed  by  the  Normans.  King 
after  king  has  restored  or  rebuilt  this  abbey  of  the 
first  Archbishop  of  Paris. 

At  last  it  became  a  temple  of  Reason  in  the  time 
of  the  Revolution,  but  even  that  did  not  prevent  its 
destruction.  A  restoration  was  begun  about  the  be- 
ginning of  this  century,  but  it  was  M.  Viollet-le-Duc 
who  finally  made  the  church  what  it  now  is.  This 
great  architect  has  shown  here  the  same  skill  and 
patience  that  have  brought  to  life  again  so  many  of 
the  ruined  monuments  of  France. 

The  facade  of  the  church  is  very  peculiar.  It  is 
partly  Norman,  partly  Gothic ;  but  the  strangest 
thing  about  it  is  the  battlement  that  surmounts  it. 
This  strongly  suggests  the  fortress  idea,  and  recalls 
the  Church  of  the  Templars  at  Luz.  There  are,  how- 
ever, no  traces  of  exterior  walls  about  St.  Denis.  It 
is  possible  the  monks  were  here  at  one  time,  as  good 
soldiers  as  their  brethren  of  St.  Michel.  Doubtless, 
they  had  the  same  need  of  carnal  weapons  to  defend 
their  sacred  places. 

The  interior  of  the  church  is  very  beautiful,  but 
not  as  impressive  as  any  of  the  other  cathedrals, 
because  it  is  so  new.  The  softening  touch  of  age 
is  not  upon  its  columns  and  arches  nor  upon  its 
stained  glass  windows. 


ST.  DENIS 


ST.    DENIS  225 

Admirable  as  the  restoration  is,  it  cannot  conceal 
the  fact  that  the  nave  and  the  choir,  the  chapels  and 
the  vaulted  roof,  are  not  those  which  in  the  olden 
time  sheltered  the  remains  of  the  French  kings. 

It  is  strange  to  think  of  the  great  antiquity  of  this 
building;  to  remember  that  Clovis,  and  Dagobert, 
and  Charlemagne  are  associated  with  it ;  that  most 
of  the  great  kings  of  France  have  been  buried  here ; 
and  that,  nevertheless,  it  was  restored,  brought  to 
life  ao-ain  at  a  time  when  there  were  no  more  kings 
to  be  buried  in  this  place  of  the  dead  monarchs. 
With  all  the  pains  they  took  to  raise  this  splendid 
mausoleum,  when  the  Revolution  came  their  ashes 
were  scattered  to  the  winds.  Nothing  is  left  of  the 
power  they  had  on  earth  except  as  the  impress  of  it 
may  have  touched  the  life  of  the  French  people  and 
made  it  better  or  worse. 

The  monuments  are  here,  —  not  all  as  they  were, 
for  many  have  been  destroyed  ;  but  some  are  pre- 
served, and  these  make  the  chief  interest  of  the 
church.  Those  that  remain  were  replaced  by  M. 
Viollet-Le-Duc,  as  nearly  as  possible  in  the  positions 
they  formerly  occupied.  Their  tale  of  the  end  of 
earthly  power  is  what  is  told  at  St.  Denis. 

Let  the  monuments  speak  for  themselves.  Here 
is  Clovis  I.,  whose  baptism  is  told  of  on  the  facade 
of   Rheims.     The   sculpture  is  rude,  but  there  is  a 


226  ST.    DENIS 

certain  majesty  about  it,  especially  in  the  way  the 
sceptre  is  held,  the  commanding  gesture  of  the  left 
hand,  and  the  crouching  lion  beneath  the  feet.  The 
leading  figure  of  the  kings  at  Rheims  now  lies  pros- 
trate in  this  church  of  the  dead.  He  has  many  com- 
panions in  his  last  sleep.  King  after  king,  queen 
after  queen,  surround  him.  Dagobert  has  his  chapel 
here,  and  there  is  many  a  bas-relief  to  tell  the  won- 
derful story  of  how  his  soul  was  saved  from  the 
devils  by  St.  Denis,  St.  Maurice,  and  St.  Martin. 

There  are  many  kings  below  in  the  Norman  crypt, 
whose  massive  columns  strongly  suggest  the  power 
of  that  kingdom  whose  king  was  once  a  Charlemagne. 

In  the  inner  part  of  the  crypt  are  many  sarcophagi, 
in  which  were  the  bodies  of  the  Bourbons.  How  many 
ages  of  the  world's  history  are  suggested  in  this 
church !  It  is  almost  as  if  every  century  of  Chris- 
tian times  had  some  royal  person  here  to  tell  its  tale. 

Beside  the  kings,  there  are  knights  and  soldiers. 
Du  Guesclin,  the  most  valiant  defender  of  France 
against  the  English,  has  a  monument  here.  The 
effigy  of  this  brave  man  is,  unfortunately,  but  a 
very  poor  thing.  It  surely  cannot  give  any  idea  of 
his  bodily  power,  for  he  seems  like  a  boy  in  height, 
nor  is  there  any  indication  of  such  muscular  strength 
as  must  have  been  needed  to  resist  the  sturdy  Eng- 
lish knights  of  those  days.     But  the  spirit  of  the 


ST.    DENIS  227 

French  champion  is  here,  and  it  is  well  that  it 
dwells  so  near  the  kings  in  their  last  resting- 
place. 

It  is  a  pity  that  Joan  of  Arc  is  not  here.  The 
French  kings  needed  many  to  help  them,  though 
some  were  well  able  to  take  care  of  themselves. 
Louis  XII.  and  Francis  I.  fought  their  own  battles, 
and  fought  them  bravely,  although  at  Pavia  Francis 
was  defeated  and  captured. 

The  monuments  to  these  two  kings  and  their  wives 
are  among  the  most  remarkable  that  any  kings  or 
queens  have  ever  had  made  in  their  honor.  The 
same  idea  is  carried  out  iu  both,  and  they  were  evi- 
dently the  work  of  very  able  sculptors,  who  had 
agreed  together  about  how  a  monument  to  kings 
should  be  constructed. 

It  is  astonishing  that  any  great  artist  should  ever 
have  dreamed  of  doing  what  has  been  done  here. 
The  principle  on  which  the  sculptor  carried  out  his 
design  seems  to  have  been  a  contrast,  as  strong  as  he 
could  possibly  make  it,  between  life  and  death.  He 
puts  life  above  and  death  beneath. 

Francis  I.  and  his  queen,  Claude  de  France,  are 
kneeling  together  upon  what  might  be  called  the 
roof  of  the  tomb.  They  are  clad  in  royal  robes. 
All  the  splendor  of  their  insignia  is  about  them. 
Their   prie-dieus  are   richly  ornamented.     It   is  the 


228  ST.    DENIS 

same  with  Louis  XII.  and  Anne  of  Brittany,  with 
Henry  II.  and  Catherine  de'  Medici. 

Below  are  figures  nearly  naked,  which  seek  to 
express  the  very  death-agony  itself.  That  of  Francis, 
attributed  by  some  to  Jean  Goujon,  by  others  to 
Pierre  Bontemps,  is  a  masterpiece  in  the  study  of 
anatomy.  The  king's  head  has  fallen  back  over  his 
pillow.  He  is  breathing  his  last  gasp.  Every  muscle 
is  tense  with  the  strain  of  the  final  struggle.  The 
last  peace  does  not  seem  to  be  there,  even  although 
the  body  has  yielded  to  death.  It  is  almost  as  if  one 
heard  the  latest  breath  of  the  king  and  was  there 
when  his  death  struggle  came. 

But  why  should  the  figure  be  nude  ?  Why  should 
the  figure  of  the  dead  queen  be  nude  ?  It  seems  as 
if  the  sculptor  had  chosen  to  bring  the  body,  almost  at 
the  moment  of  death,  close  to  the  sepulchre  that  was 
to  receive  it.  The  sepulchre  was  below.  On  the 
tomb  of  Louis  XII.  and  Anne  of  Brittany  it  is  sur- 
rounded by  the  twelve  apostles,  exquisitely  carved  in 
marble.  But  above  the  artist  seems  to  have  thought 
it  best  to  tell  a  tale  of  kingly  grandeur,  and  to  use  in 
telling  it  all  the  outward  splendors  that  surround  a 
king. 

I  have  never  seen  such  light  and  shade  as  this. 
It  suggests  Rembrandt's  "  Lesson  in  Anatomy,"  but 
even  there  the  contrast  is  not  nearly  so  strong;  for 


ST.    DENIS  229 

the  dead  man  and  the  living  doctors  had  no  such 
relation  together  as  the  dead  kings  and  queens  and 
their  full-robed  selves  above.  There  is  much  beauty 
in  the  ornament  of  these  tombs. 

After  the  artist  had  finished  his  ghastly  portraits 
of  the  dead,  human  body,  even  kings  of  men  stripped 
of  everything  but  that,  after  he  had  shown  how 
great  and  glorious  were  these  royal  people  in  their 
life,  he  calls  upon  religion  and  poetry  to  ornament 
their  resting-places,  to  give  them  thoughts  of  a 
life  to  come,  as  well  as  those  of  the  life  that  was 
ended. 

Some  of  the  bas-reliefs  about  these  monuments  are 
exquisite  in  design.  They  tell  of  battles  for  the 
most  part,  for  here  is  the  history  of  the  kings  written 
in  marble,  but  the  surrounding  figures  seem  almost 
like  the  protecting  angels  of  the  cathedral  of  Rheims. 
It  is  strange  to  see  Catherine  de'  Medici  here  in 
prayer,  apparently  most  devout,  when  those  whom 
she  is  supposed  to  have  poisoned  are  lying  all  about 
her.  It  is  stranger  yet  that  her  nude  figure,  lying 
beside  that  of  her  husband,  should  be  represented  in 
sleep — not  in  death.  This  queen  did  not  like  the 
thought  of  death.  She  preferred  sleep  and  forget- 
fulness.  I  wonder  if  she  herself  ever  gave  that  idea 
to  the  sculptor.  It  is  certain  that  she  is  so  repre- 
sented here,  and  some  one  must  have  told  the  artist 


230  ST.    DENIS 

to  make  this  surprising  change,  a  contrast  between 
sleep  and  death. 

The  statues  of  Anne  of  Brittany,  both  in  life  and 
death,  do  not  suggest  the  active,  ambitious  character 
of  the  Breton  queen.  They  are  too  demure  in 
expression,  but  it  may  be  well  to  give  a  thought  of 
peace  about  a  life  that  was  almost  always  troubled. 

Henry  II.  could  not  bring  Diane  de  Poitiers  here. 
In  many  a  church  and  palace  he  had  associated  her 
with  him,  but  in  this  church  of  the  dead  he  has  no 
companion  but  the  queen  who  feared  to  die. 

This  is  true  of  Francis  also,  and  of  many  another. 

Here  they  came  at  last.  Here  the  pleasures  and 
luxuries  of  life  are  forgotten,  and  the  duties  of  a 
king  and  a  queen  are  remembered. 

The  lesson  of  the  fa9ade  of  Rheims,  the  inspiration 
of  the  kings  about  to  be  crowned,  is  enforced  by 
sombre  St.  Denis,  where  all  these  royal  people  once 
lay  dead,  called  away  from  their  earthly  glory  to  make 
answer  to  the  use  they  made  of  the  high  place  they 
had  been  called  upon  to  fill. 


CHAPTER  XXV 

ST.  ETIENNE  DU  MONT,  THE  CHURCH  OP  THE 
PATRON  SAINT  OF  PARIS — NOTRE  DAME,  AND 
THE  PANTHEON 

At  St.  Denis  it  seemed  as  if  all  ended  with  death. 
The  gloom  of  that  burial-place  is  like  a  heavy  pall 
over  a  bier.  Nevertheless,  those  who  have  done  well 
are  not  forgotten.  They  live  in  the  memory  of  a 
grateful  people.  The  saints  who  gave  their  lives  to 
bring  the  truth  of  Christ  to  France ;  the  heroes  who 
gave  their  lives  also  to  protect  their  land  against  a 
foe ;  the  kings  and  queens  who  ruled  well,  made  good 
laws,  founded  great  institutions  of  learning,  and  cared 
for  the  poor  and  the  helpless, — all  these  are  still  a 
part  of  French  life.  They  are  not  dead,  but  live  in 
the  hearts  of  the  people.  Those  people,  grateful  for 
their  good  works,  have  called  upon  their  artists  to 
commemorate  them. 

Nobly  and  well  has  this  tribute  of  gratitude  been 
paid.  Great  churches  have  been  built  in  their  honor, 
great  paintings  tell  of  their  good  deeds,  great  statues 

231 


232  ST.    ETIENNE   DU   MONT 

keep  them  living  in  the  midst  of  the  people  they 
loved   and   died  for. 

Over  the  portal  of  St.  Etienne  du  Mont,  the 
church  of  the  patron  saint  of  Paris,  is  the  stoning 
of  the  first  martyr,  Stephen.  Within  the  church  is 
the  tomb  of  St.  Genevieve,  who  healed  and  blessed 
the  sick  and  the  poor.  So  beneficent  was  her  life 
that  this  peasant  girl  of  Nanterre  was  chosen  to  be 
the  most  revered  of  all  the  saints  by  the  people  of 
Paris. 

The  church  that  was  built  in  her  honor  is  no 
longer  as  it  used  to  be.  It  has  been  replaced  by  a 
larger  one,  but  the  building  that  now  stands  here  is 
one  of  the  most  interesting  of  the  French  churches. 

This  place  where  St.  Genevieve  is  buried  is  close 
beside  the  Pantheon,  the  hall  of  the  French  heroes. 
Once  the  tomb  of  the  saint  was  on  the  very  spot 
where  it  now  stands.  Once  the  Pantheon  itself  was 
dedicated  to  her  during  the  short  time  while  the 
present  building  was  a  place  of  worship.  On  the 
other  side  of  the  street  of  King  Clovis  that  passes  by 
it,  is  still  a  tower  that  was  a  part  of  the  Abbey  of 
St.  Genevieve. 

The  saints  and  the  heroes  are  brought  closely 
tosrether  here.  In  the  Pantheon  are  the  tales  of  all 
their  deeds  as  painters  alone  can  tell  them.  The 
frescoes  of  Puvis  de  Chavanne  tell  of  St.  Genevidve 


THE    CHURCH    OF    ST.    ETIENNE    DU    MONT 


NOTRE  DAME  AND  THE  PANTHEON     233 

in  her  country  home  and  afterward  of  her  meeting 
with  the  good  priests  who  have  been  to  Enghind  to 
combat  heresy.  In  Laurens'  work  the  deatli  of  the 
saint  is  vividly  portrayed. 

Not  only  are  the  saints  told  of  here ;  the  great 
deeds  of  the  heroes  are  also  vividly  protrayed.  There 
is  the  coronation  of  Charlemagne.  The  Pope  is 
placing  the  crown  on  his  head.  The  church  gives 
its  benediction  upon  the  work  which  the  conquer- 
ing emperor  had  done.  What  a  work  it  was ! 
Long  years  have  passed  and  still  its  power  is  felt. 

St.  Louis  sits  here  in  the  Pantheon  giving  justice 
to  all.  He  founds  the  Sorbonne.  His  intense  relig- 
ious ardor  calls  him  to  undertake  a  last  crusade. 
He  meets  the  Moor.  He  is  overcome,  but  not  by 
force  of  arms.  The  deadly  fever  conquered  him  at 
last.  Here  in  the  Pantheon  he  still  stands  at  the 
door  of  his  tent,  pale  but  dauntless,  meeting  those 
\yho  came  to  treat  with  him  for  peace.  In  a  little 
time  he  will  go  back  into  that  tent  and  give  up  his 
earthly  life ;  a  life  that  he  had  tried  to  use  for  the 
best  that  he  knew,  —  the  advancement  of  his  people 
in  religion  and  knowledge. 

St.  Denis  is  here.  Bonnat  has  well  told  the  story 
of  his  martyrdom.  His  beheaded  companions  lie  on 
the  steps  of  the  building  where  their  execution  took 
place.     He  has  a  halo  of  glory  about  the  neck,  from 


234  ST.    ETIENNE   DU    MONT 

which  the  head  has  just  been  stricken.  Stooping 
down  he  takes  up  the  head  again,  and  about  that 
too  is  a  radiance,  —  the  shining  light  of  a  life  well 
lived. 

Joan  of  Arc  is  here  again.  In  all  French  life  her 
spirit  lives.  Her  vision  of  Domremy  is  seen.  The 
stern  battle  at  Orleans  is  portrayed.  The  fearless 
girl  stands  holding  her  holy  banner  while  the  sol- 
diers storm  the  gate.  Afterward,  all  clothed  in 
white,  she  stands  upon  the  fagots  which  the  soldiers 
are  lighting  with  their  torches.  The  priest  is  there. 
He  has  himself  mounted  upon  the  fagots  and  come 
as  close  as  he  could  to  the  maiden  who  is  bound  to 
the  stake.  He  holds  high  a  crucifix.  It  is  close  to 
her  lips.  He  blesses  her  and  prays.  Below,  but 
close  also  to  the  fagots,  is  another  priest,  who  chants 
the  prayers  for  those  about  to  die.  The  English 
priests  and  soldiers  are  in  the  background,  awaiting 
the  consummation  of  this  fearful  tragedy.  It  was 
ended  at  last.  The  flames  destroyed  the  mortal  part 
of  that  maiden  who  made  France  a  kingdom  by 
repelling  the  invader  and  invoking  the  spirit  of 
patriotism  with  the  blessing  of  religion  upon  it. 

Other  saints,  other  kings,  are  here  in  this  hall  of 
the  heroes,  — many  of  them,  — but  there  is  no  one  who 
did  so  much  for  France  as  did  the  maid  of  Domremy; 
no  king  who  helped  more  to  bring  about  good  things 


NOTRE  DAME  AND  THE  PANTHEON     235 

for  his  people  than  the  sainted  Louis  who  died  in  his 
crusade  for  his  faith's  sake. 

Without  these  two  there  might  have  been  no  Notre 
Dame,  the  grand  cathedral  in  the  very  midst  of  the 
greatest  of  French  cities.  Here  it  stands  to-day, 
with  the  river  flowing  about  it.  Here  rise  its  towers 
toward  the  sky.  Upon  its  fagade  are  told  the  stories 
of  what  is  best  in  life,  what  saddest  in  death. 

Within  are  great  columns,  magnificent  vaulted 
aisles.  There  are  tombs  of  martyrs,  not  only  those 
of  olden  time,  but  of  to-day  also;  for  here  is  the 
monument  to  the  archbishop  who  was  killed  at  the 
time  of  the  Commune,  and  here,  also,  are  the  tombs 
of  many  priests  and  others  who  in  these  latter  days 
have  helped  to  bring  the  truth  of  Christ  to  the 
people. 

Above  are  the  windows  —  the  glorious  windows, 
full  of  color,  suggestive  of  all  the  splendor  of  a  great 
people,  suggestive  also  of  the  city  that  is  to  be  here- 
after when  the  heavens  are  opened  and  all  see  the 
place  that  has  been  prepared  above. 

This  great  cathedral !  How  wonderful  it  is  !  Its 
buttresses  are  time-defying.  Its  towers  reach  toward 
the  sky.  This  is  the  home  of  the  religion  of  France. 
Here  is  what  her  heroes  have  fought  for.  Here  is 
what  her  saints  have  given  their  lives  for. 

The  people  come  into  these  grand  aisles,  and  sit 


236  ST.    ETIENNE   DU   MONT 

beneath  a  light  of  story  and  of  glory  that  shines 
upon  them  from  the  vast  windows.  They  worship 
in  the  church  that  the  heroic  deeds  of  others  have 
given  to  them.  It  would  be  well  to  walk  quietly 
about  the  aisles,  to  stop  at  each  chapel,  to  look  on 
each  window,  to  feel  the  power  of  every  grand 
column,  the  uplifting  spirit  of  every  Gothic  arch,  and 
then  remember  that  self-sacrifice  has  made  it  possible 
that  France  should  have  such  monuments  as  these. 


Korfoooti  iPrfSS: 

J.  S.  Gushing  &  Co.  —  Berwick  &  Smith. 

Norwood,  Mass.,  U.S.A. 


UC  SOUTHERN 


REGIONAL  LIBRARY  fACI^^^^^^^^^ 


AA    000  591  653    1 


University  of  California 

SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 

305  De  Neve  Drive  -  Parking  Lot  17  •  Box  951388 

LOS  ANGELES,  CALIFORNIA  90095-1388 

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